St. Louis, MO - OTA [Text View] - Page 10

DroptheRemote

03-19-07, 06:28 PM

I'm a little confused about the posts I've read on 'break-in' settings. I purchased a Pio 1140 HD plasma recently from a local, specialty retailer. I asked him about "break-in" and he gave me that 'not necessary' look although that seems to contradict some of the articles I've read.

My bottom line question(s) is: Is it absolutely necessary? Will it hurt my plasma if I don't? and Does this actually improve PQ? (I have no complaints whatsoever as I think the picture looks great. Currently running it in 'Standard - Full).

Thank you all in advance!Break-in isn't required on lamp-based displays, unless you are planning on having the display calibrated. In that case, you should have racked up at least 75 service hours on the lamp before arranging for calibration. The reason for this is that the lamps are not stable in their spectral output until they have burned around 75 hours, and then they are pretty linear through about the half-point of their rated life, at which point they begin to dim and decline.

With plasma or CRT displays, break-in is much more important, regardless of whether the display is going to be calibrated or not. The reason for this is that the phosphors used in CRTs and plasma wear down fairly rapidly in the first hundred hours of use, and then wear much more slowly from that point forward.

As a result, it is very important to have even phosphor wear during the break-in period, so that you don't end up with some areas of the screen seeing more action than others, such as where black bars would appear. It's an excellent idea to "season" a plasma or CRT display showing a full white field for 100 hours. This lays the foundation for even phosphor wear and reduces the long-term risk of burn-in.

Your "specialty" retailer should know better.

skippy_rq

03-19-07, 07:38 PM

http://www.speedtest.net/result/101558010.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

I thought I would add to the speed test results of recent. Charter 10m service.

John Kotches

03-19-07, 08:07 PM

Skippy:

Wow, 10 Mbit service? That rocks.

Cheers,

DroptheRemote

03-19-07, 08:15 PM

Survey: DirecTV & DISH Top Cable in Customer Satisfaction

The following excerpt is from a Multichannel News story:
_________________________________________________________

DirecTV and EchoStar Communications’ Dish Network ranked highest in customer satisfaction among video providers, according to the first annual such survey by Digital Life America.

Among those questioned, 55% of DirecTV customers said they were “very satisfied” with the direct-broadcast satellite provider, with Dish following by a whisker, at 54%, according to Digital Life America, a syndicated trend study from Solutions Research Group.

Cox Communications ranked third, with 53% of its customers “very satisfied.”

Bright House Networks scored 47%; Cablevision Systems 41%; Comcast 36%; Time Warner Cable and Adelphia Communications 35% each; and Charter Communications 30%.

The survey also found that of cable subscribers, 41% said they were “not at all likely” to switch to satellite during the next year. Of the remainder, 35% said it was “not very likely” that they would switch, 16% said it was “somewhat likely” and 8% said it was “very likely.”
_________________________________________________________

To read the complete Multichannel News story, click here (http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6426052.html?display=Breaking+News)

DroptheRemote

03-19-07, 08:20 PM

Nielsen Data Show Cable Penetration at 17-Year Low

The following story excerpt is from Multichannel News:
__________________________________________________________

Cable penetration dropped to a 17-year low of 61.3% in February, as pay TV competition from direct-broadcast satellite and telephone rivals continues to eat into the basic-subscriber counts of cable distributors.

The number of cable subscribers dropped to 68.3 million in February, down from 70.6 million in February 2005, according to an analysis of Nielsen Media Research data conducted by the Television Bureau of Advertising.

Combined DBS penetration from DirecTV and EchoStar Communications hit 25.2% in February, up from 21% this time last year, TVB said.

Dallas-Fort Worth, ranked the sixth-largest designated market area by Nielsen, was one of the hardest hit by cable competitors, with 48.5% of subscription TV households in the DMA ordering a pay TV package from an alternate delivery system, TVB said. Time Warner Cable and Charter Communications are battling Verizon Communications, AT&T, DirecTV and EchoStar in the market.

Other markets hit hard by alternate delivery systems -- which are comprised mostly of DirecTV and EchoStar subscribers -- include Salt Lake City, where 48.5% of pay TV subscribers buy an alternative to cable; Albuquerque-Santa Fe, N.M. (48.4%); Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto, Calif. (41.2%); Memphis, Tenn. (39.3%); and Los Angeles (34.3%).

Springfield, Mo., was the DMA hit hardest by cable competition, with 57.7% of pay TV subscribers going with an alternate delivery system, TVB said.
__________________________________________________________

To read the complete Multichannel News story, click here (http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6425963.html?display=Breaking+News)

thejck

03-19-07, 08:27 PM

Is anyone still getting the Charter qam 101-104 channels. Other peoples VOD. I can get other qam channels but cant seem to get anything on 101-104

kjohnson

03-19-07, 08:31 PM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VCR

My VCR is a Panasonic model with Commercial Advance which automatically skips commercials without any input from the user -- sure wish my DVR would do that! :p That said I don't really use the unit as a VCR anymore, but rather it modulates my satellite signal onto channel 3 coax that runs to three other TVs in the house.

I have a dual-deck VCR from Sensory Science that does the same thing (in theory, anyway). I still had to program mine myself. It was only thing in the house that had to be manually set (other than clocks).

thejck

03-19-07, 10:22 PM

never mind its back now. i can pick up the other vod movies

tcfila

03-19-07, 11:29 PM

never mind its back now. i can pick up the other vod movies

Anything "good"?

DroptheRemote

03-20-07, 07:53 AM

NFL Resists HD Instant Replay Due to Cost

They can't be serious. The cost of outfitting every NFL stadium with HD equipment for instant replay use adds up to little more than budget "rounding error" for the NFL -- a rounding error that would be written down over 5 years...

From today's TV Predictions newsletter:
________________________________________________________

The Instant Replay, which allows referees to review controversial calls, has become an integral part of the National Football League. But did you know that the refs are forced to watch those replays in fuzzy standard definition?

It's true. The league, in fact, is considering updating the technology so that referees can watch the replays in high-def, which would provide a clearer view of the action.

However, Peter King, the NFL beat writer for Sports Illustrated, reports that NFL owners are afraid that the upgrade to HD would be too costly.
________________________________________________________

To read the entire story, click here (http://www.tvpredictions.com/replayhd032007.htm)

DroptheRemote

03-20-07, 07:58 AM

Cox Cable Offers MLB Package Free

From today's TV Predictions newsletter:
___________________________________________________

Cox Cable may have tossed a curve at Major League Baseball's 'Extra Innings' agreement with satcaster DIRECTV.

Cox is offering the package of out of market games for free, according to the San Digeo Union-Tribune.

There's a catch, though. The newspaper reports that the free offer extends only to MLB.TV's Broadband service which offers the games online for $89.95 a year. In addition, it's unclear if the free offer will be available outside of the San Diego area.
___________________________________________________

To read the entire story, click here (http://www.tvpredictions.com/coxmlb032007.htm)

DroptheRemote

03-20-07, 08:20 AM

Satellite TV Market Share Grew 200 Percent Since 2000

This is basically the same story that I posted yesterday about cable penetration being at a 17-year low, or at least it's based on the same data.

The point of repeating this info is to underscore the fact that satellite TV did not take off until DirecTV and DISH were able to offer local channels via satellite. Prior to this development, the single biggest impediment to switching to satellite was the lack of local programming received via the DISH.

But once that obstacle was eliminated by the FCC, in November 1999, the lid came off of satellite subscription TV sales.

Unfortunately for cable, broadcasters noticed this development (as well as the additional money in retransmission fees raining down on their bottom lines) and they now expect cable to pay, too.

Quite right.
__________________________________________________________

Satellite TV's DIRECTV and EchoStar now collectively own nearly 30 percent of the pay TV audience. And their share of the pay audience has risen roughly 200 percent in the last seven years.

That's according to figures released today by the Television Bureau of Advertising.

The group says the satellite TV industry had 29.2 percent of the pay market in February 2007, compared to just 9.5 percent in February 2000.
__________________________________________________________

DroptheRemote

03-20-07, 08:32 AM

An interesting discussion can be found here about why people love TiVo and supposedly hate DirecTV.

http://www.tvpredictions.com/forum/comments.php?y=07&m=03&entry=entry070319-154313

Personally, I think this comes down to the how "the squeaky wheel" element in the market for any given product or service has been transformed by the Internet into a much more visible and vocal lunatic fringe...blame it on AVS. ;)

I also think there's a natural consumer antipathy for ANY company that has the audacity to invade our mailboxes each and every month with a bill, even when we freely choose to do business with them.

cd1871

03-20-07, 08:58 AM

Well color me impressed. Charter Motorola 3416 HDMI box is pretty nice. I like the menu's and I figured out how to change the resolution! If you put up with Charter's crap then ask for this box. HD looks awesome on the HDMI output!

mortifer

03-20-07, 01:06 PM

Any word on OTA 30 and when it will be fixed? I saw the software was supposed to arrive Monday, but I havent seen an update about it yet...

dweebe

03-20-07, 01:45 PM

Any word on OTA 30 and when it will be fixed? I saw the software was supposed to arrive Monday, but I havent seen an update about it yet...

My 65 year old technophobe mom didn't get her "Dancing with the Stars" in HD last night. She had to call me and complain.

I'm so proud of her. *sniff*

mortifer

03-20-07, 01:52 PM

My 65 year old technophobe mom didn't get her "Dancing with the Stars" in HD last night. She had to call me and complain.

I'm so proud of her. *sniff*

:D

I am worried about Boston Legal tonight and, more importantly, Lost tomorrow night.

hfthomp

03-20-07, 02:06 PM

:D

I am worried about Boston Legal tonight and, more importantly, Lost tomorrow night.

Welcome to the wonderful world of the Charter subscriber....it's faaaaantastic!

dweebe

03-20-07, 02:28 PM

Welcome to the wonderful world of the Charter subscriber....it's faaaaantastic!

She's OTA only right now. DirecTV is coming out for an install next week.

kdg454

03-20-07, 02:30 PM

FSNMW released their 2007 TV schedule today.
You can view it here:
http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/6586316
The HD specific games schedule is yet to be announced. It will be posted when it is, and included in Doug's "we interrupt" post.
As a side note, last year, FSNMW HD did 17 games in HD....hopefully that doubles :)

StLBluesFan

03-20-07, 02:32 PM

Kansas side of the border, that is. May not be far behind for Missouri if current bill gets to governor and is signed.

Following gleamed from an AT&T site:

_________________________________________

March 20, 2007
AT&T Inc. today announced the launch of AT&T U-verse services in parts of Kansas City, Kan., as well as the Kansas communities of Leawood, Lenexa, Mission, Mission Hills, Olathe, Overland Park, Prairie Village, Roeland Park, and Shawnee. AT&T will continue to increase availability throughout the area on an ongoing basis.
AT&T is the only national provider to offer a 100 percent Internet Protocol (IP)-based television service, making U-verse TV one of the most robust and feature-rich services available today. AT&T U-verse services are available in parts of 15 markets across six states, with plans to continue expansion into new markets throughout 2007.

AT&T U-verse offers customers a combination of next-generation digital television — including more than 25 High Definition (HD) channels — and high speed Internet access. The award-winning AT&T U-verse TV includes cutting-edge features that are unmatched in the market, while the new U-verse enabled AT&T Yahoo! High Speed Internet builds on AT&T's position as the nation's leading provider of broadband DSL.

"AT&T is proud to bring our Kansas City customers a new, enhanced choice for video service," said Mark Thompson, AT&T vice president and general manager for Kansas City. "We listen to our customers, and we're ready to give them a better entertainment experience, with the value and unique features AT&T U-verse offers."

Beginning today, AT&T U-verse TV will offer Kansas City area residents:

A compelling variety of TV packages with more than 300 channels, including digital music, local, and premium movie and sports programming.

More HD programming than the local cable provider. HD technology produces images more than twice as detailed as standard analog TV delivering rich, realistic video and multi-channel, movie theater quality sound. AT&T U-verse offers customers access to a lineup of more than 25 HD channels, along with HD digital video recording (DVR) capability. New HD customers can receive two months of free HD service ($10 per month thereafter).

A growing video-on-demand library with one-touch access to movies and events. Web remote access to digital video recorder (DVR), which allows high speed Internet customers to schedule recordings using their AT&T Yahoo! account. This feature is unique to AT&T among local providers.

The ability to record up to four programs at once using a DVR receiver, another exclusive feature unmatched in the marketplace.

Built-in picture-in-picture functionality that allows subscribers to "channel surf" on any television without leaving the program they're watching.

Fast channel-changing, reducing the delay experienced with other digital video services.

Specially designed set top boxes, manufactured by Motorola, all of which are HD-capable and include universal remote controls that provide backlit buttons and one-touch access to video-on-demand, DVR, and other services.

A premium Spanish-language package featuring novelas, movies, news, sports, children's programming, talk shows and more. New customers can receive the package at no charge for the first two months ($10 per month thereafter).

The ability to search for programs using title or actor's name.

Easy-to-use parental controls to block live programs, recorded programs or videos by specific channel or ratings.

Three HD-capable TV receivers — one with a DVR, which allows customers to pause, rewind, replay and record live TV — at no extra charge with most programming packages. (Customers may add more receivers for $5 each per month.)
AT&T plans to add more channels and interactive applications in the future.

U-verse TV offers start as low as $44 per month, depending on the selected programming and Internet packages (other monthly charges apply).

Now through June 30, qualified new customers can join AT&T U-verse and receive free TV service, including HBO and Cinemax, for the first two months when they choose the U300 or U400 programming package (other monthly charges apply). Thereafter, customers will continue to receive recurring monthly discounts when they subscribe to a bundle of TV and Internet service. In addition, AT&T will offer new customers a 60-day money-back guarantee.

Three packages of AT&T Yahoo! High Speed Internet U-verse Enabled will be made available to AT&T U-verse customers:

Elite: Downstream up to 6.0 Mbps, upstream up to 1.0 Mbps.

Pro: Downstream up to 3.0 Mbps, upstream up to 1.0 Mbps.

Express: Downstream up to 1.5 Mbps, upstream up to 1.0 Mbps.

kdg454

03-20-07, 02:54 PM

Uverse has a nice selection of HD channels.
In the KC market, and in their top tier offering (U400), the HD's are:

Discovery HD
TNT HD
Universal HD
HD Net HD
Wealth HD
A&E HD
HGTV HD
Food HD
National Geographic HD
MHD HD
ESPN HD
ESPN2 HD
NFL HD

plus 9 movie channels
HBO HD E&W
Cinemax HD E&W
Showtime HD E&W
Starz HD E&W
The Movie Channel HD

plus
the 4 local network HD's.

elgibby

03-20-07, 03:41 PM

Looks like Uverse would save me about $70/month for its U400 service with Internet, compared with Charter plus Earthlink DSL.
DVR HD capacity is only 25 hrs, tho.

CardsFan53

03-20-07, 03:54 PM

Break-in isn't required on lamp-based displays, unless you are planning on having the display calibrated. In that case, you should have racked up at least 75 service hours on the lamp before arranging for calibration. The reason for this is that the lamps are not stable in their spectral output until they have burned around 75 hours, and then they are pretty linear through about the half-point of their rated life, at which point they begin to dim and decline.

With plasma or CRT displays, break-in is much more important, regardless of whether the display is going to be calibrated or not. The reason for this is that the phosphors used in CRTs and plasma wear down fairly rapidly in the first hundred hours of use, and then wear much more slowly from that point forward.

As a result, it is very important to have even phosphor wear during the break-in period, so that you don't end up with some areas of the screen seeing more action than others, such as where black bars would appear. It's an excellent idea to "season" a plasma or CRT display showing a full white field for 100 hours. This lays the foundation for even phosphor wear and reduces the long-term risk of burn-in.

Your "specialty" retailer should know better.

Thank you very much for your time and input. BTW...I used the phrase 'specialty retailer' to differentiate between the chain stores..but, I certainly get your point ;)

MoInSTL

03-20-07, 04:21 PM

With plasma or CRT displays, break-in is much more important, regardless of whether the display is going to be calibrated or not. The reason for this is that the phosphors used in CRTs and plasma wear down fairly rapidly in the first hundred hours of use, and then wear much more slowly from that point forward.

I wish I knew that about CRT displays a few years ago. I have a 32" flatscreen Panny CRT I bought for playing X-Box Live on. It was never used after I stopped playing so I unplugged it. Since I have been in STL I have it in my bedroom and only watch late night TV on it. It records my season pass shows as a back-up on a 70hr R-10. Oh well.

djearl81

03-20-07, 05:11 PM

http://www.speedtest.net/result/101558010.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

I thought I would add to the speed test results of recent. Charter 10m service.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/101558651.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

There's always a bigger fish...T3...work...wish I could get this at home.

wmschultz

03-20-07, 05:29 PM

I think it depends on what time you test. My test are all over the place depeding upon which site I hit and what time I hit it.

Dan in St. Louis

03-20-07, 05:45 PM

Yeah, fun, isn't it!

http://www.speedtest.net/result/100754443.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

kdg454

03-20-07, 06:39 PM

Yeah, fun, isn't it!

http://www.speedtest.net/result/100754443.png (http://www.speedtest.net)
Would one of you with T3, hit one of the Asian or Australian servers, and post the result please?
Charter's 5mb d/l cuts in 1/2 when I've sampled it abroad, I'm curious how T3 responds...tia.
http://www.speedtest.net/result/102040319.png (http://www.speedtest.net)http://www.speedtest.net/result/102040976.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

aspec2

03-20-07, 07:00 PM

Kansas side of the border, that is. May not be far behind for Missouri if current bill gets to governor and is signed.

Following gleamed from an AT&T site:

_________________________________________

March 20, 2007

More HD programming than the local cable provider. HD technology produces images more than twice as detailed as standard analog TV delivering rich, realistic video and multi-channel, movie theater quality sound.

Well there you go, twice as detailed means they are going to shave bits. HD is quite a bit more than twice as detailed.

My MyHD card did not record the golf. My fault. I will get this yet.

Walt

WRacer

03-20-07, 09:03 PM

Any word on OTA 30 and when it will be fixed? I saw the software was supposed to arrive Monday, but I havent seen an update about it yet...

Software DID arrive Monday and correct PSIP and program guide info was being output by the afternoon. Now some receivers may remember the temporary data and will need to be reset or rescanned. Hopefully we'll see better receiver uniform standards in the next two years!
Jim

kdg454

03-20-07, 11:09 PM

Software DID arrive Monday and correct PSIP and program guide info was being output by the afternoon. Now some receivers may remember the temporary data and will need to be reset or rescanned. Hopefully we'll see better receiver uniform standards in the next two years!
Jim
My DISH receivers just resumed reception on their own. I don't know exactly what time yesterday (Monday), but I watched 30.1/OTA at 8PM, and it was working fine on all receivers.

Kurt K

03-20-07, 11:28 PM

Would one of you with T3, hit one of the Asian or Australian servers, and post the result please?
Charter's 5mb d/l cuts in 1/2 when I've sampled it abroad, I'm curious how T3 responds...tia.
http://www.speedtest.net/result/102040319.png (http://www.speedtest.net)http://www.speedtest.net/result/102040976.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

Interesting:

http://www.speedtest.net/result/102144729.png (http://www.speedtest.net)http://www.speedtest.net/result/102145027.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

STL

03-21-07, 12:39 AM

I have a dual-deck VCR from Sensory Science that does the same thing (in theory, anyway). I still had to program mine myself. It was only thing in the house that had to be manually set (other than clocks).Thanks for the info.

Scott Tucker

03-21-07, 12:40 AM

A big shout out to Mo for spending about 4+ hours on the phone with me diagnosing my latest computer issues. We wiped my hard drive clean and successfully reinstalled windows XP. I would tell anyone needing help with computers to contact Mo. Mo is friendly, easy to talk to, and best of all her rates are very reasonable. ;) Thanks again Mo.

Scott

John Kotches

03-21-07, 01:14 AM

Well there you go, twice as detailed means they are going to shave bits. HD is quite a bit more than twice as detailed.

Selective parsing on your part perhaps?

Here's the original text, bolded for clarity:

HD technology produces images more than twice as detailed as standard analog TV delivering rich, realistic video and multi-channel, movie theater quality sound.

So they did say more than twice as detailed, and you make a statement that can't really be supported.

It is quite possible to transcode to MPEG-4 from MPEG-2 without compromising the quality while still "shaving bits". Why, because the bits that are gone are due to the fact that MPEG-4 is a more efficient algorithm. Lest we forget, IPTV has no legacy so they can start day one with MPEG-4.

Until you get some experience with the product it is quite premature to assume anything about it.

Best,

John Kotches

03-21-07, 01:15 AM

mortifer

03-21-07, 09:01 AM

Software DID arrive Monday and correct PSIP and program guide info was being output by the afternoon. Now some receivers may remember the temporary data and will need to be reset or rescanned. Hopefully we'll see better receiver uniform standards in the next two years!
Jim

I got home last night and 30 worked perfectly!

Thanks for your hard work!!

lukin4u

03-21-07, 10:08 AM

so today is the day for the dish

guy was here @ 7 am sharp

im going to cancel charter today

but keep pipeline for a little while longer

what number for charter would be best to call to cancel and get a good discount on pipeline

if i dont get one i will probably just cancel all together

this is the number i usually use

1800 231 2517

but should i go through corp.

or just reg customer service?

also

auto programmed locals this morning

and still no abc

ive never had it

but get all others

Loserland

03-21-07, 10:14 AM

so today is the day for the dish

guy was here @ 7 am sharp

im going to cancel charter today

but keep pipeline for a little while longer

what number for charter would be best to call to cancel and get a good discount on pipeline

if i dont get one i will probably just cancel all together

Was going to do the same thing.... Charter said they would lower my bill to $30 month for pipeline... fair...

Got my Bill it was $90 :eek:

Earthlink for $12.95 for 6 months then a little more after that

kdg454

03-21-07, 11:16 AM

Lukin4u,
You can try to add ABC manually. Go to the Locals Page (menu >6 >9) and select the "Add Locals" button. Put 31 (31 is the OTA UHF Freq for KDNL-DT) in the channel range. Give it about 10 seconds, or so, and see if it locks. If it does, save and exit.

A side note, there exists a software bug in many 622's, which causes a self-reboot after making manual additions to the local page. It occurs 5 minutes later, so don't be alarmed if it happens. It will just return to normal programming.

aspec2

03-21-07, 11:36 AM

Selective parsing on your part perhaps?
I did not mean to. :o
So they did say more than twice as detailed, and you make a statement that can't really be supported.
You're right, I can't support it. I can make the assumption though. He could have said more than 4 times or even more than 5 times. He is obviously one of those people who think that shaving bits does nothing to the original content. :)
It is quite possible to transcode to MPEG-4 from MPEG-2 without compromising the quality while still "shaving bits". Why, because the bits that are gone are due to the fact that MPEG-4 is a more efficient algorithm. Lest we forget, IPTV has no legacy so they can start day one with MPEG-4.
Oops?????? :o
Until you get some experience with the product it is quite premature to assume anything about it.
I do not need experience with the product. I can read about a product and pretty much MPEG-4 my feelings about how I will like it. I will not purchase a car if I read it gets 2 MPG. I don't need to drive it. :cool:

Walt

aspec2

03-21-07, 11:49 AM

John

I do hope you take this as tongue in cheek. :eek:

Walt

StLBluesFan

03-21-07, 12:42 PM

I did not mean to. :o

You're right, I can't support it. I can make the assumption though. He could have said more than 4 times or even more than 5 times. He is obviously one of those people who think that shaving bits does nothing to the original content. :)
Walt

It was a press release. Not my wording. :cool:

aspec2

03-21-07, 01:24 PM

Oh yes, I realize that this was an AT&T press release. It is just marketing people spreading fertilizer as they are want to do. :rolleyes:

Walt

DroptheRemote

03-21-07, 01:47 PM

InDemand Says It Will Match DirecTV MLB Offer

From an Associated Press story, via the ESPN.com web site:
___________________________________________________________

Baseball's "Extra Innings" package of out-of-market games might wind up staying on cable television.

IN Demand said Wednesday it will offer to match the terms of DirecTV's $700 million, seven-year deal with Major League Baseball on behalf its owners, who are affiliates of the companies that own Time Warner, Comcast and Cox cable systems.

As part of the offer, iN Demand also said it would carry The Baseball Channel when it launches in 2009 to at least the same number of subscribers who will get the channel on DirecTV.

"As the current home for 'Extra Innings' for more than 200,000 cable subscribers, we have extended ourselves to do our best to be able to continue to provide this package to baseball fans and our customers," iN Demand president Robert Jacobson said. "This offer meets all the conditions set forth by MLB last week.

Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer, said he would have to find out details of iN Demand's offer before commenting.
___________________________________________________________

To read the full story, click here (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2806948)

djearl81

03-21-07, 02:56 PM

Yeah, fun, isn't it!

http://www.speedtest.net/result/100754443.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

Great post...Definitely proves my point. :)

djearl81

03-21-07, 03:01 PM

Would one of you with T3, hit one of the Asian or Australian servers, and post the result please?
Charter's 5mb d/l cuts in 1/2 when I've sampled it abroad, I'm curious how T3 responds...tia.
http://www.speedtest.net/result/102040319.png (http://www.speedtest.net)http://www.speedtest.net/result/102040976.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

Here's my test results...a bot slower than overall than yesterday. The Melbourne trip is definitely slower.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/102431518.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

http://www.speedtest.net/result/102432934.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

Dan in St. Louis

03-21-07, 04:13 PM

Great post...Definitely proves my point. :)
I wish I had this toy when our College technicians were jacking right into the fiber optic backbone and downloading movies (oops, did I say that?). I suspect that there becomes a limit where the host server can't fill the pipeline, and we are measuring a combination of factors.

Sad truth is that most Web surfing these days is limited by the bandwidth of the host, not our own.

Nuzy

03-21-07, 04:46 PM

Just thought I'd post my first impressions of the HR20 now that I am up and running.

First, maybe I have low standards or don't have a very discerning eye, but I think the HD picture quality looks very good. Obviously, it varies from one station to the next, and from one program to the next, but overall it looks pretty darn good to me. On the locals, I can barely see the difference between D* and my OTA antenna.

Second, I thought the OTA tuner in my Pioneer 1120 was pretty good, picking up most stations in the 70-80% range with the DB2 antenna from my walkout basement. Assuming the signal meters are calibrated similarly, the tuner in the HR20 seems to be much better. I'm getting signal strength in the 90s on most stations.

Third, I don't find the user interface that hard to navigate after getting through the initial learning curve. I have a standard TIVO DVR upstairs, and while the TIVO is a bit more intuitive to use, once I spent a little time with the HR20 I don't find it difficult to use.

Finally, I am hooked up via HDMI, and so far (knock on wood), it is very stable. Compared to other people, I'm sure I'm not a power DVR user, but I have not encountered anything that would make me say the box is buggy.

Anyway, just thought I'd throw those out there for anyone on the fence about upgrading. Reading about the HR20 on dbstalk could scare the hell out of a person considering the upgrade. My installation and experience with the HR20 so far has been very good. Thanks to those here that helped me in my decision to upgrade.

DroptheRemote

03-21-07, 05:19 PM

More developments on MLB Extra Innings and InDemand, from the Evening Bridge market close newsletter:
__________________________________________________________

This afternoon saw a flurry of activity concerning Major League Baseball and its Extra Innings out-of-market baseball package. For starters, cable pay-per-view provider In Demand said it would match the terms of DIRECTV's $700 million, seven-year deal with the league for the offering, including carriage of The Baseball Channel when it launches in 2009.

However, Major League Baseball released a statement later in the day saying a communication it received from In Demand "is not responsive to that offer." The league added, "The response falls short of nearly all of the material conditions - among them requirements for carriage of The Baseball Channel and their share of the rights fees for Extra Innings."

MLB said its deadline for negotiations on the package remains March 31.
__________________________________________________________

MoInSTL

03-21-07, 06:03 PM

Got my Wiselink working on my Sammy! (USB flash drive plays .mpg and .jpg files). Too bad it only plays through the TV speakers.

Just waiting for the tech to install a new light engine and color wheel. The color wheel is part of the light engine. Instead of Bob it will be Ron. He is also a Samsung Certified Field Engineer.

Dan in St. Louis

03-21-07, 06:15 PM

Got my Wiselink working on my Sammy!
I have noticed that even though my Samsung is 720p, I get the best display of JPG photographs if I save them 1920x1080.

MoInSTL

03-21-07, 06:22 PM

I have noticed that even though my Samsung is 720p, I get the best display of JPG photographs if I save them 1920x1080.

I don't know that I will use it much, but thanks for the tip. Mine is 720p as well.
I needed to format my flash drive to FAT32. I had used another utility to do it but apparently it didn't work. This one (http://files.extremeoverclocking.com/file.php?f=197) did. I run NTFS on my hard drives.

This utility will format any USB flash drive, with your choice of FAT, FAT32, or NTFS partition types.

StLBluesFan

03-21-07, 06:47 PM

Oh yes, I realize that this was an AT&T press release. It is just marketing people spreading fertilizer as they are want to do. :rolleyes:

Walt

:D

Dan in St. Louis

03-21-07, 07:44 PM

I don't know that I will use it much, but thanks for the tip. Mine is 720p as well.
Of course, they could have changed the firmware; but if I display a file 720 pixels high it gets down-sized and does not fill the screen. If I start at 1080, it gets beautifully downsized to 720.

Chazb

03-21-07, 08:22 PM

Nuzy I cant agree with you more IMO the hr 20 has been great especially after all I had before was a dvd recorder.I dont use caller ID on it or have it hooked to the internet....I really do not need these features.I also only schedule a few programs and when I am done I erase them.If you have any machine try to do to much problems can arrive so I just keep it simple record and watch TV and a reset every so often to be on the safe side.

StockInv

03-21-07, 10:18 PM

bluedevil23

03-22-07, 02:35 AM

Since I have high speed internet service with Charter, I've been reluctant to move to satellite. However, the lack of HD on CBS, ABC and ESPN2 is a major issue, especially with the NCAA Tournament and The Masters. I have a few basic questions about getting started with satellite.

1) Dish or Direct?
2) Whom should I call for information/installation?
3) Is there a specific dish that I should install?
4) I'd like a dvr on two displays and just a cable box on two others. Is there a specific box and/or dvr I should get?
5) Will I receive the local channels in HD without the need of an outside antenna?

Thanks for your help.

As someone who just switched from Charter to E*, I will give you my opinion on your questions.

1. This is a tough one. Dish currently has more HD, but DirecTV will be ramping up their HD offerings soon. DirecTV has NFL Sunday Ticket and overall is probably better for the sports fan. I would check out the channel listings for both and make sure you can get the channels you want.
2. I called Dish Network directly for order and installation and they were very helpful. The install got delayed a week for weather, but when they finally installed it I was extremely pleased with the installer. He went the extra mile to make sure the dish got setup, even when it started raining and he had to get a part from the office to mount the dish on my flat roof. (I guess they don't see too many of those)
3. Either company should install the dish you need based on your order.
4. The Dish 622 would take care of your two DVRs. It's one box that has two tuners and a second output that can feed one or more additional tvs. You also get HD on the main television. It's quite a fine piece of equipment. DirecTV's HD-DVR does not do two rooms so you would need two separate DVR boxes. Either company should be able to take care of the extra boxes for additional rooms. Note that if you get the 622, you could theoretically use it for all 4 tvs, but you would have to watch the same programming on the 3 secondary TVs. All would have DVR though.
5. Dish has 2, 4, 5, and 30 in HD with no antenna required. I think DirecTV is the same, but someone who has them can confirm that.

In the end, the main reason I went with Dish was the 622 and the fact that it has been free since Feb. 1st. You will have a $200 up front cost to get DirecTV's HD-DVR. I am extremely happy with Dish so far, it's been nice having the tournament in HD and the SO has found some channels on Dish that weren't on Charter that she likes (like Food Network HD). I'm sure I would be just as happy with DirecTV, but my wallet would be a little lighter and that was a big thing for me.

cd1871

03-22-07, 08:46 AM

As someone who just switched from Charter to E*, I will give you my opinion on your questions......

Thanks for going into detail on why you switched from Charter. My contract is up at the end of July and I am currently debating on switching to one of big sat co's.

BTW, Did anyone catch "Lost" last night? Every week I am getting more and more impressed with the ABC-HD OTA feed! I had one audio drop-out for about a second but the rest of the broadcast was super smooth. In my opinion "Lost" is the perfect OTA show to impress your friends with HD!

Scott Tucker

03-22-07, 09:52 AM

DroptheRemote

03-22-07, 10:08 AM

TV Predictions: 5 Reasons the DirecTV-MLB Deal is Good for HDTV Owners

The following excerpts are from today's TV Predictions newsletter. A link below is available if you'd like to post your own opinion on this...
_______________________________________________________

1. DIRECTV plans to broadcast most -- if not all -- the games in high-def by 2008. With two satellites launching this year or early next, the satcaster will have all the capacity it needs for the extra high-def coverage.

2. With Extra Innings, DIRECTV will have the exclusive rights to carry baseball; football (NFL Sunday Ticket); NASCAR (HotPass); and college basketball (March Madness) in high-def. The addition will give the satcaster a powerful HD sports lineup.

3. Seeing that DIRECTV is building a high-def sports dynamo, rival satcaster EchoStar and the cable TV operators will be forced to respond. They will explore ways to expand their high-def sports coverage, particularly on a regional/local basis (where cable still has an advantage over satellite). If your cable operator doesn't broadcast a local team in HD now, it probably will a year from now when DIRECTV has expanded its sports high-def lineup.

4. Seeing that TV providers are expanding high-def sports coverage, the professional leagues (and college) will push for better facilities and innovations to broadcast HD.

5. To counter DIRECTV's sports lineup, EchoStar and cable will also move to bolster their non-sports HD offerings. Comcast, for instance has already hinted it has big plans for movies in high-def.
_______________________________________________________

To provide feedback on this article, click here (http://www.tvpredictions.com/forum/comments.php?y=07&m=03&entry=entry070322-060334)

wmschultz

03-22-07, 03:05 PM

For those of you with the Xbox360 HDDVD addon:

As to more info, here is an embarrassing nugget. The reason the audio dynamic range is not where it should be is that the Dolby Digital/DD+ decoder is permanently stuck in the "night" mode. This is the mode you can set on your DVD player where the dynamics are compressed as to not wake up the others sleeping in the house. Apparently, Dolby certification rules mandate that night mode be on, if there is no UI to turn it on and off. Their assumption is that without such UI, this a portable DVD player and such, driving a TV with its little speaker which may get damaged with full dynamic range!

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10096513&&#post10096513

deuces

03-22-07, 04:15 PM

Scott Tucker

03-22-07, 04:21 PM

For those of you with the Xbox360 HDDVD addon:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10096513&&#post10096513

Finally an explanation for the poor audio. That makes perfect sense. Mine sounds exactly like night mode is on all the time. NIGHT MODE SUCKS! Microsoft needs to fix it soon.

Scott

dweebe

03-22-07, 04:48 PM

Good news from the St. Louis Business Journal

Blunt signs cable franchising bill
St. Louis Business Journal - 2:28 PM CDT Thursday, March 22, 2007
Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt signed legislation Thursday that makes the state the only franchising authority for cable television service.

The Missouri Senate passed Senate Bill 284 Feb. 20. The bill goes into effect Aug. 28.

"When government allows businesses to create jobs and to compete in an open market, Missourians see lower prices and more choices," Blunt said in a statement. "The legislation I signed today allows businesses to compete and creates competition for all companies that want to provide telecommunications and cable service."

The new law allows cable companies and other video service providers to obtain a statewide franchise to deliver video services instead of having to obtain separate franchises from individual cities and counties. It doesn't affect satellite TV, which doesn't require franchise agreements.

SB 284 was sponsored by Sen. John Griesheimer (R-Washington, Mo.) and co-sponsored by Sens. Gary Nodler (R-Joplin) and Maida Coleman (D-St. Louis).

black_macleod

03-22-07, 04:49 PM

Thank God. Charter must be having a bad day, heh.

dweebe

03-22-07, 06:09 PM

Thank God. Charter must be having a bad day decade, heh.

There, fixed it for you.

MoInSTL

03-22-07, 06:18 PM

chuckparr

03-22-07, 06:23 PM

As someone who just switched from Charter to E*, I will give you my opinion on your questions.

1. This is a tough one. Dish currently has more HD, but DirecTV will be ramping up their HD offerings soon. DirecTV has NFL Sunday Ticket and overall is probably better for the sports fan. I would check out the channel listings for both and make sure you can get the channels you want.
2. I called Dish Network directly for order and installation and they were very helpful. The install got delayed a week for weather, but when they finally installed it I was extremely pleased with the installer. He went the extra mile to make sure the dish got setup, even when it started raining and he had to get a part from the office to mount the dish on my flat roof. (I guess they don't see too many of those)
3. Either company should install the dish you need based on your order.
4. The Dish 622 would take care of your two DVRs. It's one box that has two tuners and a second output that can feed one or more additional tvs. You also get HD on the main television. It's quite a fine piece of equipment. DirecTV's HD-DVR does not do two rooms so you would need two separate DVR boxes. Either company should be able to take care of the extra boxes for additional rooms. Note that if you get the 622, you could theoretically use it for all 4 tvs, but you would have to watch the same programming on the 3 secondary TVs. All would have DVR though.
5. Dish has 2, 4, 5, and 30 in HD with no antenna required. I think DirecTV is the same, but someone who has them can confirm that.

In the end, the main reason I went with Dish was the 622 and the fact that it has been free since Feb. 1st. You will have a $200 up front cost to get DirecTV's HD-DVR. I am extremely happy with Dish so far, it's been nice having the tournament in HD and the SO has found some channels on Dish that weren't on Charter that she likes (like Food Network HD). I'm sure I would be just as happy with DirecTV, but my wallet would be a little lighter and that was a big thing for me.

I didn't ask the question, but appreciate your answer. I am in the same spot as StockIiv-getting tired of not getting CBS in HD. If something doesn't shake loose by June, I'll be looking at DISH. Are there any of the additional HD channels you have found to be especially good addition? (You mentioned your SO enjoys Food Network.)

skippy_rq

03-22-07, 06:51 PM

I only post this one because I want to have a comparison point for the end of next week.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/103052609.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

This is off my Sprint S720 data card ($49.99/month). The end of next week/month, is supposed to bring about 3m down and 700-1m up. So once rev.A upgrade is on and active I will post a comparison. But for the most part right now I have a mobile DSL connection and will soon have a mobile cable connection for comparison.

Rich

StLBluesFan

03-22-07, 07:44 PM

I didn't ask the question, but appreciate your answer. I am in the same spot as StockIiv-getting tired of not getting CBS in HD. If something doesn't shake loose by June, I'll be looking at DISH. Are there any of the additional HD channels you have found to be especially good addition? (You mentioned your SO enjoys Food Network.)

Come Q4 of this year, some areas of St Louis may have AT&T video as another option. <fingers crossed>

kdg454

03-22-07, 07:49 PM

Geesh, it's slow here today. I mean really, what do you guys expect me to do, WORK?!?

I think I got some kind of 622 download last night, or something odd anyway. Both of my 622s displayed the message about the hard drive being corrupted and that I would have to delete files. Of course it seems to be the same thing Ken discussed quite sometime back. The "files" mentioned are not recorded programs, but rather some part of the update files. Anyone else have this on the 622 this morning?
Deuces,
S/W v4.01 is in the process of being pushed out. It's currently spooling to a very limited amount of receivers. Your may or may not have received it, but that is the cause of the erroneous 760/corrupt disk error. The files deleted are those VOD entertainment events. None of your recordings or timers will be effected.

DISH has decided to spool the version to 100k random users, as well as 350 advanced users. The 350 advanced users were also provided a "script" to test the release and report the findings back to DISH, prior to the full public release.
It is a final imaged version, and not a beta version. DISH has simply pushed back the full public release, to ensure it is as clean a version as is possible.

The quickest way to determine if your receiver actually received the download, is you will see transparent "HD" icons on your EPG listings. You can also check system information/page 1. If you have not received the new version, and it is approved for final release, you should receive it one day next week. Preliminary reports on DBSTalk, also I have the version in both of my units, indicate there are no major or operational issues.
Anyone interested, can view the new features (not fixes) HERE (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=83112)

moman19

03-23-07, 12:24 AM

I received the update sometime this morning as well. Hopefully there will be fixes to the relatively minor bugaboos.

I also see the "Tribune Co." copywrite notice on all info pages. This is annoying and a waste of real estate. Meanwhile, I still cannot receive EPG info for KETC-DT 9-01. I really miss this.

deuces

03-23-07, 11:34 AM

I have not had a chance to check anything (in the office now) you mentioned, but I did not have side by side PIP, so I assume I do not have the udate. I remember you said it is not recorded files that are deleted when we had this message issue before, so I was not concerned about that.

kdg454

03-23-07, 12:26 PM

deuces

03-23-07, 12:32 PM

It appears to have corrected that 11.1 OTA reception issue. I'm no longer seeing breakups :)

That is great news. I don't watch anything there, but my PREGNANT wife is a One Tree Hill fan. I don't like my PREGNANT wife to not get her way, lol. :eek:

wmschultz

03-23-07, 12:33 PM

Did you not help make her that way?

aspec2

03-23-07, 12:58 PM

OMG....did he make his wife a fan of One Tree Hill? :eek:

Walt

deuces

03-23-07, 01:01 PM

OMG....did he make his wife a fan of One Tree Hill? :eek:

Walt

Someone must have snuck in during the middle of the night and made her a fan.

kdg454

03-23-07, 01:05 PM

Give her a break....she's carrying TWO!
Given the choice, would you switch places :eek:
I didn't think so.

deuces

03-23-07, 03:56 PM

kdg454

03-23-07, 04:32 PM

The good news is, 11.1 still seems to be corrected. I recorded several events throughout the day today. I just viewed them in 4x, but didn't see a single breakup. There is a very similar issue with the FOX DT local in Austin TX, which also seems to have been corrected in this update. Let's hope.

Oh, the bad news....I'm pretty sure you've already figured that out for yourself :rolleyes:

DroptheRemote

03-23-07, 04:50 PM

John Kotches

03-23-07, 05:17 PM

I know, but I get yelled at for s%*! other people do wrong. Haha :) I mean she has gone from thinking our remodeling will not be done before the babies get here, to now she literally says it will never be done (or as you said maybe as soon as Dish lets us program recordings from the net or another remote location).

I assure you that you're getting yelled out for others transgressions is orthogonal to her pregnancy ;) She was mad at you about this before she was preggers I bet :D

Okay - on a more serious note, congratulations :woohoo:

Cheers,

deuces

03-23-07, 05:29 PM

I assure you that you're getting yelled out for others transgressions is orthogonal to her pregnancy ;) She was mad at you about this before she was preggers I bet :D

Okay - on a more serious note, congratulations :woohoo:

Cheers,

Orthogonal? Remember I don't know that much about HDTV, lol. Geesh those technical terms. Isn't there an acronym we can shorten that to?

RaceTripper

03-23-07, 06:18 PM

CNET Gives Apple TV Low Marks for HD Picture Quality

The following blurb summarizes CNET's finding on the Apple TV product:
____________________________________________________________ _____

It's the moment you've all been waiting for: Apple's hype machine bursts into the living room. The Apple TV promises a simple, elegant solution for bringing all that "content"--music, photos, and video--trapped in iTunes from your PC to your TV. It mostly succeeds, but don't expect any of the video available now to look anything like HDTV.
____________________________________________________________ _____

To read the full review, click here (http://reviews.cnet.com/Apple_TV_digital_multimedia_receiver_HDD_recorder/4505-6739_7-32306442.html?tag=nl.e702)

Heh! When the AppleTV was announced, I criticised it (in another forum, not here) as a big non-event because it failed to realize streaming HD video in an easy and useful way. All the Apple Fan Boys jumped on my case for that. Looks like I'm not alone being unimpressed. Apple had a chance to make streaming HD video ubiquitous and they blew it.

This Apple product is insanely boring. I guess they want to be like MS with its Zune. :rolleyes:

kdg454

03-23-07, 06:59 PM

Brian Williams closed the broadcast tonight saying, "by the way, the next time you see us, we'll be in High Definition."

Looks like NBC Nightly News begins HD on Monday night. :)

moman19

03-24-07, 11:11 AM

It appears to have corrected that 11.1 OTA reception issue. I'm no longer seeing breakups :)

I noticed that too. I wasn't sure if this was a 622 fix or the station getting their act together. BTW, how do you get PIP to function? My button doesn't do anything?

While I'm in question-mode, here's another you'll probably have an answer to: What's with "map down"? I see no change.

kdg454

03-24-07, 12:07 PM

I noticed that too. I wasn't sure if this was a 622 fix or the station getting their act together. BTW, how do you get PIP to function? My button doesn't do anything?

While I'm in question-mode, here's another you'll probably have an answer to: What's with "map down"? I see no change.
Mo,
First, are you certain your receiver received v4.01? Press Menu twice and check the software version on page 1 of system info.

If you're pressing the PiP button at TV1, and nothing happens, the receiver is in dual-mode. PiP only works in single mode, and only on TV1. With 4.01, and PiP active, a third PiP button press opens the side-by-side view. Swap then toggles between the two views. Pause, tricks, and a 1 hour buffer becomes available for each tuner independent of the other.

One example of the HD mapdown would be National Geographic-Channel 186. With 4.01 there is a channel 186 SD, with a channel 186 HD directly above it in guide, differentiated by a partially-transparent HD Icon next to the HD channel. The HD 186 channel is being mapped down from its 94xx home-slot.

Also, with HD priority set on, whenever a timer is set to record a SD event, where a identical HD event exists (simulcast), the DVR will always record the HD version.

StockInv

03-24-07, 12:12 PM

RaceTripper

03-24-07, 12:46 PM

Does anyone think that Charter would go through football season without having HD on CBS?I think it's entirely possible. Since when has Charter's business model been one of focusing on customer needs? I thought their business model was based on assuming consumers had little choice but to use cable. Of course, that assumption has been false for a long time, but I'm not sure cable ever really woke up to that reality.

kdg454

03-24-07, 01:16 PM

I'm not sure cable ever really woke up to that reality.
Dean,
For real? You're 'not sure?' Or you were just softening it?

Cables' mindset with regard to this is darkly antiquated 1960's thinking!

If the question is rhetorical, IMO, Charter has zero concern whether or not HD is available to their customer football fans, with respect to its' negotiations with Belo and/or Sinclair.

RaceTripper

03-24-07, 01:24 PM

Dean,
For real? You're 'not sure?' Or you were just softening it?I had a moment of weakness. ;)

thilt

03-24-07, 03:58 PM

But I'll admit my solution probably is extreme for most. I broke down and bought the Tivo Series 3 to hook up to my OTA. It's a good complement to my Moxi 9022. I now have:

1. The ability to record up to 4 shows at once.

2. Up to 70 hours of HD recording capacity.

3. The ability to record HD shows on ABC and CBS.

4. Most certainly assured that within the next 30 days, Charter will release 4.1 and announce agreements with both Belo and Sinclair.

You Charter customers can thank me later.

DroptheRemote

03-24-07, 04:38 PM

We Interrupt Your Normal AVS Programming...

...for the following St. Louis housekeeping break:

In the past, we used to begin each month of the St. Louis discussion with an entirely new thread and usually that started with a cut/paste of basic resource information about HDTV and over-the-air reception. Although those messages were moved to the new thread here that was started in January, that information is still easily overlooked as the new thread is growing rapidly, approaching 75 pages in a relatively short period.

So, in order to make this introductory information more accessible, I will be periodically reposting this advisory/reminder note. The idea is to make the general resource information available here more visible and easier to find for more readers.

With HDTV sales increasing every month, we're getting more and more newcomers here, which is a great thing to see. But like most of us when we took home our first HDTV, there's a huge amount to learn beyond where to point the remote and which buttons to push.

Hopefully, you'll find this information of some use...

Tower Maps, Your Satellite/Antenna Rights & Local Station Feedback (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9713839&&#post9713839)

Resources for Receiving Digital/HD OTA Local Stations via an Antenna (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9713842&&#post9713842)

Frequently Asked Questions about HDTV (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=2995791&&#post2995791)

HD Programming Available in St. Louis (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9714728&&#post9714728)

Why Isn't KDNL-DT (ABC) Available via Charter? (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8072643&&#post8072643)

Why Isn't KMOV-DT (CBS) Available via Charter? (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9341270&&#post9341270)

New! St. Louis Blues in HD Schedule (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8678636&&#post8678636)

2006 Survey Results: HDTV in St. Louis

Part 1: Profile of Survey Respondents (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9713951&&#post9713951)

Part 2: Local Digital Stations (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9713954&&#post9713954)

Part 3: Digital Multicasting (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9713956&&#post9713956)

Part 4: Customer Ratings for Charter, DirecTV & DISH HD Services (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9713960&&#post9713960)

Part 5: Customer Ratings for Pay TV HD Channels (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9713963&&#post9713963)

Part 6: Best Picture/Sound Ratings & HD Wish Lists (http://http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9713965&&#post9713965)

Finally, I want to remind everyone that you can access the St. Louis HDTV discussion here at AVS directly by using the shortcut URL that has been arranged.

The short-form URL also makes it very easy to remember and give the address to anyone you know who's just getting into HDTV.

The shortcut URL is: www.stlhdtv.info

DroptheRemote

03-24-07, 04:57 PM

Does anyone think that Charter would go through football season without having HD on CBS? Personally, I don't think so.No idea why you'd draw that conclusion...after all, we are talking about the same company that blew up the Super Bowl for thousands of local HD viewers only 6 weeks ago and is now doing a no-curtain call for the NCAA basketball tournament, with Masters Golf to follow.

Don't bogart that joint, my friend... ;)

kdg454

03-24-07, 06:20 PM

No idea why you'd draw that conclusion...after all, we are talking about the same company that blew up the Super Bowl for thousands of local HD viewers only 6 weeks ago and is now doing a no-curtain call for the NCAA basketball tournament, with Masters Golf to follow.

Don't bogart that joint, my friend... ;)
MUCH better. Personally, I didn't like DougLite.
If someone has something to say, by gosh, SAY IT! :cool:

chuckparr

03-24-07, 06:38 PM

Does anyone think that Charter would go through football season without having HD on CBS? Personally, I don't think so. That being the case, why don't they just settle this thing now. Their bargaining strength will diminish as football season approaches.
They seem much more interested in telephone service--cable TV, much less HD content, doesn't seem to be of any concern. Despite my protests I bet they have called 6 times the last two months about telephone, as well as mailings each month. "HD-who cares?" seems to be their attitude.

ferl

03-24-07, 06:44 PM

Mo,
First, are you certain your receiver received v4.01? Press Menu twice and check the software version on page 1 of system info.

If you're pressing the PiP button at TV1, and nothing happens, the receiver is in dual-mode. PiP only works in single mode, and only on TV1. With 4.01, and PiP active, a third PiP button press opens the side-by-side view. Swap then toggles between the two views. Pause, tricks, and a 1 hour buffer becomes available for each tuner independent of the other.

One example of the HD mapdown would be National Geographic-Channel 186. With 4.01 there is a channel 186 SD, with a channel 186 HD directly above it in guide, differentiated by a partially-transparent HD Icon next to the HD channel. The HD 186 channel is being mapped down from its 94xx home-slot.

Also, with HD priority set on, whenever a timer is set to record a SD event, where a identical HD event exists (simulcast), the DVR will always record the HD version.

I've got some dumb questions. My software version shows L366rbdd-n. I expected to find something like v4.0 or v3.75. Instead I have a bunch of numbers and letters. Is the 366 my version number? Can we force an update of the software?

bailorg

03-24-07, 06:55 PM

Dean,
If the question is rhetorical, IMO, Charter has zero concern whether or not HD is available to their customer football fans, with respect to its' negotiations with Belo and/or Sinclair.

I honestly think their public bargaining position is just a smokescreen for their currently less than stellar financial position. If they had a somewhat better financial situation, they probably would have settled this by now.

kdg454

03-24-07, 07:56 PM

I've got some dumb questions. My software version shows L366rbdd-n. I expected to find something like v4.0 or v3.75. Instead I have a bunch of numbers and letters. Is the 366 my version number? Can we force an update of the software?
Yes Ferl, you have version 3.66. When your receiver is spooled it will say L401xxxx-x. You will immediately notice the transparent HD icons in your guide with the new version.

No, you cannot force a software version update. Once the s/w update is spooled to your receiver, anytime the receiver is in stand-by (powered off by the remote), it will automatically download. Be certain you always put your receiver(s) in stand-by at night. :)

You can force an automatic update by un-plugging/plugging-back-in your receiver, but if the new s/w version has not been spooled to your receiver, you will not receive it until it is. Software updates and Automatic (nightly) updates are different. A Software update is delivered via a Automatic update, but only when your receiver has been targeted to receive it.

StockInv

03-25-07, 01:20 AM

[QUOTE=DroptheRemote]No idea why you'd draw that conclusion...after all, we are talking about the same company that blew up the Super Bowl for thousands of local HD viewers only 6 weeks ago and is now doing a no-curtain call for the NCAA basketball tournament, with Masters Golf to follow.

Don't bogart that joint, my friend... ;)[/QUOTE

My thinking is that when football season comes with no HD on CBS, there will be so many defections to satellite that Charter will have to settle this issue.

The Super Bowl was one game. The NCAA tournament got here too soon for many to switch to satellite. However, I think the football season will be the last straw for many, me included.

kdg454

03-25-07, 02:14 AM

My thinking is that when football season comes with no HD on CBS, there will be so many defections to satellite that Charter will have to settle this issue.
The Super Bowl was one game. The NCAA tournament got here too soon for many to switch to satellite. However, I think the football season will be the last straw for many, me included.
If that becomes the case, I would recommend those considering switching to DirecTV or DISH, plan ahead....both have shown to fall 2-4+ weeks behind with new installation orders, when orders suddenly escalate. :)

Those who wait until week 1, may not get install dates until 30-60 days out. Both Direct and Dish are currently scheduling new installs in 2-3 days. They both fell off to 2-3 weeks around the Super Bowl/Belo time, and as you said, that was only 1 game.

MoInSTL

03-25-07, 09:30 AM

Mo,
First, are you certain your receiver received v4.01? Press Menu twice and check the software version on page 1 of system info.

Hiuh? ;) Oh wait, you were responding to Moman. Don't confuse me Dean.

kdg454

03-25-07, 10:51 AM

Hiuh? ;) Oh wait, you were responding to Moman. Don't confuse me Dean.
Jared,
You see, this precisely depicts your world right now. In this scenario, you're Dean! :D

DLSDO

03-25-07, 11:58 AM

moman19

03-25-07, 12:13 PM

Jared,
You see, this precisely depicts your world right now. In this scenario, you're Dean! :D

Yeah, I'm the OTHER Mo.

Ken, thanks for the help. Yes, I have the new release and yes, I'm in dual mode so that explains the PIP issue. The mapdown logic still escapes me, though. I see no major advantage.

PWSHER

03-25-07, 01:38 PM

deuces

03-25-07, 02:01 PM

Jared,
You see, this precisely depicts your world right now. In this scenario, you're Dean! :D

If I'm Dean does this mean my wife doesn't get mad at me? Or does she get mad at Dean too? Maybe he is the one that snuck in in the middle of the night and made her a One Tree Hill fan.

BTW Pregnant with twins causing a sore back + a cold = no sleep for her OR ME!!!

DroptheRemote

03-25-07, 02:14 PM

37 HD Cardinal games, plus the dozen or so by KSDK and another half dozen from the major networks and that makes for about a third of the games in HD. Not bad -- though we definitely want more.

I guess this is the flip side of the Charter coin (at least for now): no Super Bowl, no NCCA basketball, no Masters/PGA golf -- BUT 37 Cardinal games in HD. That might well be a Charter exclusive, at least through 2007.

But is it enough to keep customers in the fold?

Entropy1974

03-25-07, 02:59 PM

Ok, has anyone had issues with CW 11? I receive all other HD channels just fine. I live in St. Peters, but for some reason, about every 5 seconds it looks like whatever show is on (only on 11 HD) is in slow motion. This lasts for about 10 seconds then stops, and then starts again. I am running Vista Media Center and this is the only station that I am having issues with. At this point, I am trying to narrow it down between a signal or PC issue. I'm not sure what other information to give to try and help out, but it doesn't seem to be specific to a time period. It happens all the time. I did just recently replace my antenna with a DB4 which increased my signal strength across the board, but didn't help this issue.

Any thoughts or ideas?

kdg454

03-25-07, 03:12 PM

Yeah, I'm the OTHER Mo.

Ken, thanks for the help. Yes, I have the new release and yes, I'm in dual mode so that explains the PIP issue. The mapdown logic still escapes me, though. I see no major advantage.
Give it a little more time. :) As you use it more, and see how the HD mapdown now interacts with NBR, the DVR and Search functions, I believe the light will go off. To me, it is pretty amazing how they were able to integrate this feature.

kdg454

03-25-07, 03:33 PM

This may have been posted but I can't find it here or on the FSN website.
The announcers before the Cardinals game today said that there will be 130 regular season games on FSN with 37 available in high definition. Last year FSN carried 17 regualr season game in HD according to the schedule still on their website.
The 2007 schedule does not show which will be HD.
Anybody have any newer info?
I will compile the full schedule and it will be posted in Doug's "we interrupt" post as soon as FSN releases its dates. All HD games, by all carriers will be included.

FYI, the count will be:
FSNMW-HD - 37
KSDK-DT - 20 (all)
ESPN-HD - 4
ESPN2HD - 3*
FOX/KTVI-DT - 8 (will be full res HD, not FOX Widescreen)
Total - 72 (just under 40%)
*simulcast with FSNMW, so may be blacked out here

lkrupp

03-25-07, 04:38 PM

Hello all!

I am the proud owner of a new Sharp Aquos LC-46D62U and am very pleased so far. DVDs look great at 480P from a Sony VCR/DVD/DVD Recorder (RDR-VX521). I'm not a videophile so I'm probably relatively easy to please. Anyway, Dish Network is supposed to be coming out 3/31/07 to install the upgrade 622 receiver and HD dish. What I need is some advice on what brand/style/price range, etc. of over-the-air antenna I might need to get good reception. This antenna would be chimney mounted. I live in Collinsville, IL. which is northeast of downtown STL, maybe about 15 miles or so. Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.

Errr, just did some searching in this thread and see that one DropTheRemote seems to be the main source of information on this subject, so sorry if I asked a newby question that's been answered a million times before.

DroptheRemote

03-25-07, 05:30 PM

Scroll up to the top of the page, where a message contains links to the information you're looking for (Post #2346)...

kdg454

03-25-07, 05:35 PM

DroptheRemote

03-25-07, 08:02 PM

OT: While this probably isn't a revelation to many, anyone who follows the Cardinals should try read Derrick Gould's daily blog, Birdland, at STLToday. Here's the link to today's post-game installment:

http://www.stltoday.com/blogs/sports-bird-land/2007/03/camp-cards-hollywood-beginning/

The Post sports department started the blog last spring, but it seemed more of an afterthought and pretty hit-and-miss once the season started. Hopefully the good work done this spring will carry through to the regular season this time around.

It's a major league paradox -- particularly considering how badly the industry has performed over the past few years -- that the best part of many newspapers is found online and is available free of charge (and in this case without even registration required). Check it out before the bean counters awaken.

jmeitz

03-25-07, 10:25 PM

does charter offer any HD dvr's that have HDMI? my sister in law requested one with HDMI and they said no problem, they brought them a DVI MOXI box out instead. Do they offer one cause they already have an HDMI cable ran through the wall to the plasma.

bballcards

03-25-07, 11:01 PM

Kris Staff

03-26-07, 07:49 AM

kdg454,

37 extra games in HD is enough to make me stay for now. It sounds like the Fox games in real HD is also good news.

Does the simulcasting of the ESPN 2 games mean there is a chance opening day could be available in HD here in St. Louis?

DroptheRemote

03-26-07, 08:37 AM

MLB in HD on DirecTV Will Cost Additional $39

The following excerpt is from today's TV Predictions newsletter:
_________________________________________________________

The satcaster is now selling the basic 2007 MLB Extra Innings package online for $160. (After April 7, the price goes up $40.) The package includes up to 60 'out of market' games a week.

For an extra $39, DIRECTV viewers can get the 'Super Fan' version of the package, which includes:

* Up to 10 games a week in high-def;
* Up to eight games on one screen with DIRECTV's "Game Mix" channel;
* The "Strike Zone Channel," which shows highlights from live games.
_________________________________________________________

To read the entire story, click here (http://www.tvpredictions.com/dextrahd032507.htm)

DroptheRemote

03-26-07, 08:45 AM

KISS Singer, Girlfriend Getting His/Her Facelifts in HD

Ugh...

The following excerpt is from today's TV Predictions newsletter:
__________________________________________________________

"Gene Simmons' Family Jewels," the reality show starring the KISS singer, which airs on A&E and A&E HD, tonight will feature Simmons and girlfriend Shannon Tweed getting face lifts.

The stunt will kick off the launch of the show's second season, airing tonight at 9 p.m. ET.

Simmons tells the New York Post that the face lift was A&E's idea. But the network says the duo were planning to get the facial surgery and they decided to film it as part of the show.
__________________________________________________________

To read the entire story (really?), click here (http://www.tvpredictions.com/simmons032507.htm)

DroptheRemote

03-26-07, 08:48 AM

Just a reminder to anyone with DirecTV -- traditionally during the first week of the baseball season (and then again during the first full week after the All-Star break), DirecTV has made Extra Innings available free to all subscribers as a promotion to sell more of the pay package.

No idea whether this practice will continue under the recently signed agreement between DirecTV and MLB, but it's worth checking out if you need to feed that baseball fix early on...

DroptheRemote

03-26-07, 08:52 AM

DroptheRemote

03-26-07, 10:37 AM

A New Record? Apple TV Hacked Days After Release

I wonder if Apple will sue?

From the ZDNet web site:
____________________________________________________________ _

The first day after Apple TV began shipping a bunch of sharp-as-a-tack coder types hacked Apple's new set top box to shreds:

Non-Apple TV owners can enjoy the out of box experience by viewing the opening video which one crafty person ripped from the hard drive and posted in all of it's 720p glory. You can also download the Quartz Composer Screen Saver and the Now Playing Screen. And if you're truly hard-core you can download the entire Apple TV OS, and (conceivably) install it on another Mac.

But this is just scratching the Apple TV surface.

True hackers will want to immediately take it apart (photos) and upgrade the wimpy 40GB HDD to 80 or 120GB - it's a standard 2.5-inch notebook mechanism (another HDD upgrade tutorial is here).

If you really want to hack it to the next level you can play Xvid movies on Apple TV, but it ain't pretty and involves removing the HDD (covered above) and un-breaking SSH (using Perian and DropBear) so you can access the Apple TV remotely.

If that's too much hassle for you there's a solution to automatically convert Xvid, Divx, WMV files to Apple TV format, and then import them into iTunes with a convenient Automator workflow.

You can even turn a Mac mini into an Apple TV or an Apple TV into a Web server (by installing Apache).

Keep up with even more Apple TV hacks at AppleTVHacks.net.
____________________________________________________________ _

To read the full story and follow the links noted above, click here (http://blogs.zdnet.com/Apple/?p=472&tag=nl.e539)

dweebe

03-26-07, 11:07 AM

I will compile the full schedule and it will be posted in Doug's "we interrupt" post as soon as FSN releases its dates. All HD games, by all carriers will be included.

FYI, the count will be:
FSNMW-HD - 37
KSDK-DT - 20 (all)
ESPN-HD - 4
ESPN2HD - 3*
FOX/KTVI-DT - 8 (will be full res HD, not FOX Widescreen)
Total - 72 (just under 40%)
*simulcast with FSNMW, so may be blacked out here

I'm still suprised why Fox Sports Midwest still doesn't have a full time HD channel. Plus the bigger issue of why you can't get FSN-Midwest in HD from D* or E* regardless of whether it's full or part time.

MoInSTL

03-26-07, 11:34 AM

I have an older, modest Harman Kardon receiver with 5 HK speakers and subwoofer. Recently. I have noticed a slight hum. I can easily mask it by turning up the volume but it's annoying. I have a toslink cable running from my D* HR10-250 to the receiver. I did a Google search and found this article (http://ezinearticles.com/?Eliminating-that-Terrible-Hum-From-Your-Home-Theater-Speakers&id=131193) but I am hoping someone who has dealt with this may have a better idea in terms of troubleshooting it. It appears it can be a ground loop, interference issue and even speaker wire. I have 18 month old heavy gauge wire, using the same outlet and it's all plugged into the same Monster HTS power strip. I have no new appliances or equipment and current large ones are on their own circuit. When I settle in to watch a program I am not running (for example) the dishwasher or anything else.

Do optical cables just go bad? Would swapping it out be the best place to start? Any obvious place to start?

Everything is in its original place in the cabinet as well.

Thanks in advance.

Edit: I also read it could be the HR10 receiver too. :(

deuces

03-26-07, 11:36 AM

How exciting!!! 37 FSNMW Cardinal games in HD. Oh wait, I don't get FSNMW HD. I have sent another email to ceo@echostar.com. Other than that I am still very happy with Dish. Seems ramping up local RSN coverage and HD availability could help weather some of the MLB Home Plate storm. I will let everyone know what I hear back.

wmschultz

03-26-07, 11:50 AM

For you Monday Night Football fans that don't follow every thread on this forum...

I say let the party begin.

Know it all is gone!!! (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2812834)

dweebe

03-26-07, 12:00 PM

Dan in St. Louis

03-26-07, 12:01 PM

Recently. I have noticed a slight hum.
Sometimes it is just the programming.

However -- is your dish grounded separately from the electrical service? I recently consulted on an installation in a big old house, bad hum in the media center. We found that a well-meaning electrician had run extra grounds all over the place.

We had to clip all the grounds but the official service entrance ground. Even the "lightning protection" ground on the mast for the dish had to go. For a while we were stuck, couldn't get the hum out of the feed to the kitchen. Sure enough, that branch circuit had its own ground.

If your house ever had 2-wire outlets replaced by 3-wire, make sure the electrician didn't cheat and connect the safety ground to the (white) neutral wire. That really makes a difference. It doesn't even have to be the outlet your sound gear is using, could be another room or even another floor in the house. We found over SIXTY such mis-wired outlets in this particular house.

In the basement, several coaxial jumper blocks (basically double-female connector blocks) were jumpered together so they shared a ground. We had to remove not only that ground, but also all the jumpers between the blocks.

The bottom line is that you want exactly one ground, no more, no less.

PWSHER

03-26-07, 12:04 PM

I have read all the info on these antennas but am still undecided on which to get.

I currently have a very old "color" antenna that pulls in FOX (2.1), 9 and ABC (30.1) very well most of the time. OTOH, 4.1 and 5.1 break-up a lot and are unwatchable most times but on other days 4.1 is rock steady. I am just over a hill and down in a small valley in mid town St. Charles. I get most of my HD from Charter but am trying to get ABC(30.1) and CBS (4.1) when I need to using an older Direct TV tuner. connect via coaxial to the old roof mounted antenna.

Questions:

1. Will getting a DB-8 or Channel Master really be an improvemnet over my antiquated antenna?
2. Will I need a pre-amp?
3. Are the DB-8's worth double to triple the cost of a 4228 Channel master?
4. Are these knowable without testing them?
5. Are these dropouts indicative of multipathing?

Thanks everyone.
pwsher

MoInSTL

03-26-07, 12:12 PM

Sometimes it is just the programming.

Lots of good info, but no changes whatsover and this is a new issue so I don't think it's in my outlet or ground. I was hoping to start off troubleshooting with the easier stuff first as with computers and working my way up the chain in terms of difficulty.

It doesn't matter what program is on when I turn on the receiver.

DroptheRemote

03-26-07, 12:21 PM

1. Will getting a DB-8 or Channel Master really be an improvemnet over my antiquated antenna?
2. Will I need a pre-amp?
3. Are the DB-8's worth double to triple the cost of a 4228 Channel master?
4. Are these knowable without testing them?
5. Are these dropouts indicative of multipathing?1. It depends on several factors. If the old antenna is VHF-UHF, then getting a UHF-only would like improve performance. Also, I'm not clear on what sort of antenna you have now, so it may be that getting one that aims for a narrower (or wider) field may be an improvement. Also, if the old antenna is using old coax (or non-coax) there could be improvement there, too.

2. Again, it depends. Try it without a pre-amp and then worry about that as a potential enhancement/fix if and when you know you actually need it.

3. I'm doubtful, but others may disagree.

4. Answer to 1 & 2 = no.

5. I didn't see any explanation of the dropouts, so I can't say. Multipath problems are typically seen with the signal locking and then being lost. While signal meters don't all behave the same way, this is sometimes seen as a high signal strength reading, followed by a drop to zero and then relocking, a strong signal strength, dropping to zero, etc.

MoInSTL

03-26-07, 12:28 PM

Scott Tucker

03-26-07, 12:28 PM

Lots of good info, but no changes whatsover and this is a new issue so I don't think it's in my outlet or ground. I was hoping to start off troubleshooting with the easier stuff first as with computers and working my way up the chain in terms of difficulty.

It doesn't matter what program is on when I turn on the receiver.

Mo,

Maybe try running the optical to a different input if one is available. You will then have to go into the HK set up to assign the new input. Or, try running stereo r/l and no optical just to see what happens. Is your speaker wire running parralel to any power cords?

Scott

Dan in St. Louis

03-26-07, 12:36 PM

no changes whatsover and this is a new issue
Mo, sometimes these things are changes we didn't even notice. For example, in that old house in question, the hum came back a few days later. Down in the basement one of the coaxial connector blocks had slipped so that it was resting on a conduit. Tucked a piece of cardboard under it and the hum went away again.

And weather changes: a ground could be poor in dry weather, improve in wet, and later dry out again.

Rule #1 is that everything is a suspect until one is proven guilty.

MoInSTL

03-26-07, 12:40 PM

Mo,

Maybe try running the optical to a different input if one is available. You will then have to go into the HK set up to assign the new input. Or, try running stereo r/l and no optical just to see what happens. Is your speaker wire running parralel to any power cords?

Scott

I'll swap the cable with one I am using for my DVD player and the input assignment.

One of the rear speaker wires runs parralel to a table lamp that is rarely used. It being plugged in was never a problem before but it's unplugged now. Nothing in my room has been moved or changed.

PWSHER

03-26-07, 12:57 PM

Questions:

1.
Maybe. If it was for a color analog, it was not aimed for UHF. You could try aiming it first. Second, check all connectors. Since you said the antenna is very old they may be rusted and or coroded. The cable could be very old and shot too especially if sun exposed for many years.

2.
Usually not. How far are you from the towers?

3.
IMO, the Channel Master's and their reasonable price is fine. They almost look identical. Why a 8 bay? I suggest a 4 bay first. Depends on distance of course.

4.
Nope. I tried two others first. A DB-2 type and a Square Shooter. I finally ended up with a CM 4221 on a slightly higher mast with a moderate tilt. I gave my DB-2 to someone in this thread and returned my Sq. Shooter.

5.
What kinds of drop-outs? It may need to be aimed, cable and connectors checked first.

Hope this helps.

Thanks Doug and MO.
Just to clarify.
The antenna is about 30 years old and looks like all the old ones did. It is rusted and broken in a few places and the pole is so rusted it can't be adjusted much. Actually since MO suggested tilting it upward I did that and bent the pole a little more..but it did improve the over reception. I also replaced the flat ribbon cable with coaxial cable.

My meter is indeed giving the 0%, 65%, 0% 35% sort of reading although that doesn't seem to correlate with the picture I get. It does that on the ones that are great.

BTW, I did the antennaweb.org thing where you type in your address and it doesn't even show 4.1 as a station I could get. I am about 18 miles from the digital stations and they recommend a BLUE (med directional UHF antenna with a pre amp):

* blue - uhf KSDK-DT 5.1 NBC ST. LOUIS MO 150° 17.9mi 35
* blue - uhf KDNL-DT 30.1 ABC ST. LOUIS MO 149° 17.2mi 31
* blue - uhf KPLR-DT 11.1 CW ST. LOUIS MO 149° 17.8mi 26
* violet - uhf KTVI-DT 2.1 FOX St. Louis MO 160° 19.0mi 43

One more thought. The antenna is one a pole on the corner of my house which is only about 20 feet from the feeder lines for the electricity for the neighborhood although the antenna is pointed parallel to it and not receiving signals through it.

I think for the low cost of the Channel master I'll just try that. Are there other good local sources besides Skywalker for the 4228?

Again, thanks everyone for such a great source of information.

MoInSTL

03-26-07, 01:36 PM

And weather changes: a ground could be poor in dry weather, improve in wet, and later dry out again.

Rule #1 is that everything is a suspect until one is proven guilty.

What ground are you referring to? A year ago November I had a new meter can, circuit box, electrical mast and separate circuits run for all of my kitchen appliances. Everything else was distributed evenly and I have circuits not in use.. The main house ground is a 6 foot solid copper 1/2" or 3/4" if I recall correctly, driven in to the ground until it hit mud with heavy gauge copper wire bundle going into the meter.

Edit: I forgot to mention the grounding rod was driven all the way down to be flush to my walkway and I even smoothed some concrete over it. My old ground rod was the diameter of a cigarette!

kdg454

03-26-07, 01:45 PM

BTW, I did the antennaweb.org thing where you type in your address and it doesn't even show 4.1 as a station I could get. I am about 18 miles from the digital stations and they recommend a BLUE (med directional UHF antenna with a pre amp):
* blue - uhf KSDK-DT 5.1 NBC ST. LOUIS MO 150° 17.9mi 35
* blue - uhf KDNL-DT 30.1 ABC ST. LOUIS MO 149° 17.2mi 31
* blue - uhf KPLR-DT 11.1 CW ST. LOUIS MO 149° 17.8mi 26
* violet - uhf KTVI-DT 2.1 FOX St. Louis MO 160° 19.0mi 43

Antennaweb is only a guide. Most often, it's accurate, but not always.

I'd estimate the KMOV signal is at about 175° and 21 mi for your location, which should be easily receivable. KMOV-DT transmits on UHF Frequency 56.
Perhaps try entering a couple of neighboring zip codes.

MoInSTL

03-26-07, 02:19 PM

Just to clarify.The antenna is about 30 years old and looks like all the old ones did. It is rusted and broken in a few places and the pole is so rusted it can't be adjusted much.

You need a new antenna. We are lucky to have Skywalker. They do ship, but I bought in person and they accepted my Square Shooter return.

The bouncing signal sounds like multipath. But the antenna being broken in places may be the source too.

My lines all come in a few feet near the power and have had no issues.

Also, just because the old antenna worked in that location you can't rely on that being the best spot for it. My multipath issue was resolved with better antenna placement. I am in a bit of a valley, have a huge evergreen next door and live next to Lambert. It can't get much worse. So focus on placement. In my case, just a few inches of adjustment made the difference.

Glad the tilt improved it.

Nuzy

03-26-07, 02:27 PM

For you Monday Night Football fans that don't follow every thread on this forum...

I say let the party begin.

Know it all is gone!!! (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2812834)
This is good news, but IMO dumping Kornheiser would have been a greater improvement than losing Theismann's annoying squeaky voice. At least Theismann sort of new what he was talking about and was consistent (although many times consistently bad). Kornheiser's opinions during a game change direction like a fart in a whirlwind.

black_macleod

03-26-07, 02:28 PM

Scott Tucker

03-26-07, 02:53 PM

Glad the tilt improved it.

Mo, maybe you should try tilting your Harman Kardan. :p

aspec2

03-26-07, 05:00 PM

Mo

I don't see how a Toslink would cause a hum. It is a digital flashing light (no current carrying wire) and unless there is an AD conversion in your HK, I don't see how hummmm could happen. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

Make sure that all grounds in the house go to the bonded buss and not the neutral buss. I don't understand all the " grounding" in the house Dan was referring to. Also look at your wire runs. Vibration over time could have moved some wires parallel to power runs.

I have an occasional hum even when my HK receiver is not on. It is intermittent and never when the receiver is on. I am too lazy to look for it and it only bothers the wife when we are eating dinner.

Walt

DroptheRemote

03-26-07, 05:04 PM

Cable Chief Calls OTA Reception via STBs "Vitally Important"

Well no ****, Sherlock.

Actually, it would have been vitally important to have recognized this fundamental fact when satellite players started paying for local channel access in 2000, or at least when Sinclair started the pay-for-local ball rolling shortly after that.

Treating this as a "big science" revelation at this point is pretty much like saying that Cable Labs might need to consider better security now that someone has slipped off into the night with its top-secret peanut butter-and-chocolate candy recipe.

Duh, duh, duh...

From Multichannel News:
_____________________________________________________

American Cable Association CEO Matt Polka called Cable Television Laboratories’ development of a specification to let set-top boxes receive over-the-air digital broadcast signals “vitally important” technology that will give operators leverage in retransmission-consent negotiations.

“I think that is a vitally important piece of technology development, particularly when you read what’s happening in retrans these days and the cost that’s being paid in one way or another by Comcast, Mediacom [Communications] and many more to come,” Polka said.
_____________________________________________________

bballcards

03-26-07, 05:24 PM

As far as I know, the Cardinals opening night game next Sunday evening will be available via ESPN2 without being subject to blackout, so the game will be available in HD if you subscribe to cable or satellite and receive ESPN2/ESPN2 HD.

No idea if the game will also be carried on a local over-the-air station, but if so it's highly unlikely that it would be available locally in HD.
In the case of Opening Day, the game on ESPN2 is not subject to blackout because that is the ONLY station that is broadcasting that game (i.e. it's a national telecast).

Normally, when a Cardinals game is on ESPN2 (or on ESPN on weekdays), it's also broadcast locally on FSN MW. Thus, they black out the ESPN/ESPN2 broadcast due to the presence of local availability.

thilt

03-26-07, 07:09 PM

Since cable cards are fairly inexpensive do you plan to plug one in to that S3 to realize its full potential?
Enjoy! ;)
Good thought. I'm not that familiar with cable cards. I assume I would need two cards to use both tuners on the S-3. I would just split the cable signal then between the moxi and S-3, right? On the S-3 I would not have VOD or PPV capabilities? Anything else? Can I pick up cards at the Charter office or does it require a service call? Cost? Thanks in advance for any help on these questions.

Dan in St. Louis

03-26-07, 07:17 PM

What ground are you referring to?
Aha! Yes, that is the question.

In the ideal situation (from the hum-bucking standpoint), all circuits would be grounded only at the service entrance (circuit breaker box), and never to each other. The box then has the copper wire to the ground rod that you have noted (or to a cold water pipe if so equipped).

What looks good from the lightning-protection standpoint, ANOTHER nice ground for antenna masts, etc, creates hum. I guess if you like the feeling of the mast being grounded, you could run a dedicated wire to the same ground rod as the circuit breaker box.

"Ground loops" are caused when any device has more than one path back to "ground." For example, a tuner with a 3-wire plug (ground #1) that gets its signal through coaxial cable bonded at the top to a grounded mast (ground #2) and feeding a stereo control center and HDTV through shielded cables (grounds #3 and #4).

Usually the only way to tell exactly which "extra" ground is the devil is to undo all of them and put them back one at a time. A basket full of 2-wire "cheater" adapters helps. Some high-end equipment even features a switch to break the "third-wire" power ground.

All that said, I'm not going to guarantee that will work for you -- ground loops are terribly elusive. In my own house converting all equipment except my stereo preamp to 2-wire power feeds has gotten the hum low enough to live with.

DroptheRemote

03-26-07, 07:31 PM

Can I pick up cards at the Charter office or does it require a service call? Cost?No, it requires a service call, unless this practice has recently changed.

I believe the CC install charge is around $35, but I'm clear on whether that is per-visit, or per-card...

thilt

03-26-07, 07:56 PM

No, it requires a service call, unless this practice has recently changed.

I believe the CC install charge is around $35, but I'm clear on whether that is per-visit, or per-card...
Thanks, Doug. I just got through to CS after a 20 minute wait. She didn't mention the install charge, but the cards are $1.50 per month each. Since I don't use VOD or PPV much, I may just dump the moxi altogether.

John Kotches

03-26-07, 08:52 PM

Hey gang... Just an FYI -- I'm on temporary assignment in Austin, TX so I won't be around very much :(

Cheers,

The Jedi

03-26-07, 08:59 PM

I'm getting no Fox 2 in HD over the air tonight. First prob's with ABC, now Fox?

DroptheRemote

03-26-07, 09:08 PM

Hey, John!

How long you going to be there? I spent some time in Austin during my 9-month "sabbatical," aka The Really Long Lost Weekend, in '96 and I had a great time, bits and pieces of which I can recall every now and then.

Seriously, lots of great food (think BBQ), great bars, and interesting nightlife.

You're there for work...but hope you get to enjoy it.

John Kotches

03-26-07, 10:43 PM

Doug,

I'll have every other weekend to enjoy Austin. During the week I'm working too damned hard :(

Best,

DLSDO

03-26-07, 10:53 PM

Good thought. I'm not that familiar with cable cards. I assume I would need two cards to use both tuners on the S-3. I would just split the cable signal then between the moxi and S-3, right? On the S-3 I would not have VOD or PPV capabilities? Anything else? Can I pick up cards at the Charter office or does it require a service call? Cost? Thanks in advance for any help on these questions.

Yes. 2 cable cards and you will have full utilization of the S3. If you like the extra storage capacity and a HD-DVR in another room then hang onto the Moxi.

Of important note. Search the Charter thread here http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=316903&highlight=charter in the Tivo community thread. They outline exactly what you need to do to ready your S3 for smooth installation of your CC's. Your service tech will be quite grateful ;)

As Doug pointed out the CC's are inexpensive. The site I referenced discusses charges for cards and installation.

Enjoy!

Robert Simandl

03-26-07, 11:15 PM

I'm getting no Fox 2 in HD over the air tonight. First prob's with ABC, now Fox?

Did your issue with Fox 2 get fixed? I watched tonight's 24 on Fox 2 OTA with no problem. Haven't checked the Tivo recording of Prison Break.

bballcards

03-27-07, 12:27 AM

I'm getting no Fox 2 in HD over the air tonight. First prob's with ABC, now Fox?
No problems here. I recorded 24 OTA on KTVI-DT using the HD Tuner in my PC. Looks great.

kdg454

03-27-07, 02:21 AM

Some absolutely amazing HD camera technology is shown off on this new Planet Earth series. Even if you're not so whelmed with nature, animals, etc., the equipment, technology, and techniques is mind boggling.

If you'd like to see some HD at its very best, I'd recommend a look-see...
Discovery HD-Sun Nights.

DroptheRemote

03-27-07, 07:29 AM

DirecTV Adds Three Regional Sports Nets in HD

In a story from TV Predictions, DirecTV is said to have added the HD service for three regional sports networks -- SportsNetNY, The YES Channel and Comcast Sports Net (Washington DC).

While it's not explicit in the story, these additions appear to be MPEG-4 only, as expected.

http://www.tvpredictions.com/mets032607.htm

So begins the wait for Fox Sports Midwest HD...Day One. How long must our people suffer? :rolleyes:

DroptheRemote

03-27-07, 07:43 AM

NBC Nightly News in HD Gets So-So Review at TVP

Soft focus, muted colors and no HD remotes add up to more of the major league yawns network TV news has been sending over the airwaves forever.

From today's TV Predictions newsletter:
____________________________________________________

Whether last night's soft focus was done to preserve the image of Mr. Williams is also less than clear. NBC seems to be using protective camera filters for the 50-plus Meredith Vieira on the network's high-def broadcast of The Today Show. But one would think that Mr. Williams, who is younger and considered one of broadcast news' leading men, would have less concern here. But perhaps not.
____________________________________________________

The full review can be read by clicking here (http://www.tvpredictions.com/nbchd032707.htm)

DroptheRemote

03-27-07, 07:48 AM

Her Majesty's Secret Huckster: Bond Gives Blu-ray a Boost

The following excerpt is from today's TV Predictions newsletter:
________________________________________________________

At Amazon.com today, the Blu-ray version of Casino Royale is ranked #31 in total DVD sales, an unusually high number for a non-standard DVD. Nielsen VideoScan, which tracks DVD sales, says Casino Royale is outselling any other HDTV DVD by nearly 10-1.

And HighDefDigest estimates that 100,000 copies of the Blu-ray disc may have been sold in the United States thus far, based on the Nielsen data.
________________________________________________________

To read the complete story, click here (http://www.tvpredictions.com/casino032607.htm)

DroptheRemote

03-27-07, 08:39 AM

Court Rules "Head End" DVR Service Contravenes Copyright

From the CE Pro web site:
_________________________________________________

New York-based Cablevision had hoped a network-based DVR system, called Remote Storage DVR or RS-DVR, would have done away with the need for the installation of hundreds of thousands of digital set-top boxes in subscribers' homes.

This could have saved Cablevision significant administration and maintenance costs. It already has installed more than 500,000 set-top boxes in homes in its area.

Judge Denny Chin agreed with the studios, who argued that Cablevision would essentially be "copying" content and streaming it to customers, breaking copyright agreements. "The RS-DVR is clearly a service, and I hold that in providing this service, it is Cablevision that does the copying," said the judge in his ruling.
_________________________________________________

To read the full story, click here (http://www.cepro.com/news/editorial/18057.html)

Before anyone panics, this ruling is specific to a product that Cablevision attempted to roll out nearly 2 years ago. The idea behind the Cablevision DVR is that the DVR service would be "hosted" at the cable head end, providing all the typical DVR functionality that a customer expects, but without the need to install DVR hardware in each home.

From the start, Cablevision has been on shaky ground with the product idea, as it's pretty clear that they are crossing the line between providing a mechanism for recording to actually doing the recording themselves and redistributing the recorded content to customers directly. This is where they ran afoul of copyright law.

What's interesting is that Cablevision argued that what they were doing was essentially the same thing as consumers are already doing, and that therefore it should be allowed. Of course, Hollywood and the networks rejected that logic.

But now that this product has been defeated, I'd be concerned that the program creators will use this victory to make exactly the same argument that Cablevision was making. But in this twist, the goal would be to try to claw back the recording rights of individual consumers.

That seems more than a little improbable, but stranger things have happened in the courts.

DroptheRemote

03-27-07, 08:52 AM

Charter Customers in Outlying St. Charles County to Pay More

Stop me if you've heard this one before..."I'm from the government and I'm here to help you..."

Take special note of the last paragraph in the excerpt -- sneaky bastards or dedicated public servant?

You decide... :rolleyes:

From today's Post-Dispatch:
__________________________________________________________

Cable television users in the county's unincorporated areas will see a slight increase in their bills following action taken Monday night by the County Council.

A new franchise agreement with Charter Communications, approved unanimously, calls for a 5 percent county fee to be added to customers' cable TV bills, compared to the current 3 percent fee.

That would amount to about a dollar a month extra for a typical subscriber who buys only TV service.

Under the agreement, Charter also must assign a new channel for county government programs by Sept. 1, similar to what St. Charles, St. Peters and other cities already have. The new county channel will be available in both unincorporated areas and cities.

...Leykam said the 5 percent county fee would remain even after Charter gets a statewide cable franchise under a bill passed recently by the Legislature. Leykam said local franchise fees imposed prior to the state law's Aug. 28 effective date are allowed to remain.
__________________________________________________________

To read the full story, click here (http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stcharles/story/58CED56EC3AB6540862572AB001962D3?OpenDocument)

dpmark

03-27-07, 09:06 AM

Hey folks. I've been dealing with an odd problem with OTA ABC HD for a while now and hoped that maybe one of you could shed some light on it for me. Basically, HD content on 31.1 (and previously on 30.1) that is not 'live' television gets minor stutters in the video. The audio never stutters and by 'minor' I mean like 1/8th or 1/4 of a second pause on the entire screen - not the blockyness that comes from low signals, etc. But the odd thing is that live ABC HD broadcasts are crisp and clear with no stuttering, etc.

For example, as my wife watched Dancing w/the Stars last night, the dances themselves & other live parts of the show would be fine, but then as soon as they cut to recorded content (or HD commercials) the stuttering would resume. As soon as it went back to live content, the stuttering would stop. Shows like Lost are basically unwatchable in HD as the constant stuttering is distracting and the audio gets ahead of the picture. On the other hand, NBA games are great with perfect picture/audio. Digital OTA that's not in HD is also free of stuttering.

According to antennaweb, ABC is actually the closest broadcaster to me and in the same direction as the other channels; I don't know why it would be the one to cause problems! (Last digit is miles from my location, ABC is shown as 2.7 miles from me.)

* yellow - uhf WRBU-DT 46.1 MNT E. ST. LOUIS IL 214° 18.5
* yellow - uhf KTVI-DT 2.1 FOX St. Louis MO 219° 6.6
* yellow - uhf KMOV-DT 4.1 CBS ST. LOUIS MO 182° 5.5
* yellow - uhf KDNL-DT 30.1 ABC ST. LOUIS MO 221° 2.7
* yellow - uhf KPLR-DT 11.1 CW ST. LOUIS MO 212° 2.9
* yellow - uhf KSDK-DT 5.1 NBC ST. LOUIS MO 214° 3.4
* yellow - uhf KNLC-DT 24.1 FMN ST. LOUIS MO 218° 21.9
* yellow - uhf KETC-DT 9.1 PBS ST. LOUIS MO 212° 10.4

All the other OTA HD channels in STL come in with no problem for me; this is only on 31.1 and previously on 30.1. I've tried rescanning but that didn't fix it. I had been using just a el-cheapo Radio Shack antenna, so I replaced that with a Winegard 7000 rooftop antenna but again, that didn't fix it. Because I'd had other troubles with my original TV I eventually ended up replacing it with a new unit - which fixed all the other problems but not the stuttering! Grrr.

So. Any ideas? I read the FAQ here, but it doesn't seem to quite discuss why HD content would stutter only on recorded shows but not live ones. Please let me know if you have other questions - I've tried to toss everything into this post that I could think of! :rolleyes:

Thanks.
Mark

DroptheRemote

03-27-07, 09:12 AM

DroptheRemote

03-27-07, 09:25 AM

kdg454

03-27-07, 09:39 AM

Sen. Kerry Holding Hearings on MLB/DirecTV Deal Today

From the Baltimore Sun website, quoting Senator Kerry:
_____________________________________________

"I have no doubt that there are business advantages, but what is the impact on fans? They lose the content," said an advance copy of Kerry's remarks obtained by The Sun.

"Or, as we will discover today, they are forced to change their TV service to see games. That is wrong. That is a sign that the system is not working."
_____________________________________________

Again, this perfectly illustrates the pervasive imperfect understanding of how competition is supposed to work.

To our elected representatives, the only point of preserving competition is to enforce lower prices. But the whole point of competition isn't just competitive pricing, its creative, differentiated product choice -- this is a fundamental element of any competitive market, and where it doesn't exist or cannot be sustained, commodity pricing is the result.

And where commodity pricing exists, service and quality usually have to be stripped to the bone to maintain profitability.

Anyone with any common sense has to understand that the whole point of competing for a customer's business is to get them to switch to your product. Considering this a sign that the market is "not working" is either economic ignorance on a grand scale, or simple demagoguery.

Granted, I can understand the view that MLB may be alienating some of its fans for going the exclusive route, and I think it is possible that they may come to regret that. But if that's what MLB believes serves its commercial interests best, they should be allowed to do that... and fans should be allowed -- even encouraged -- to punish them in the marketplace if they believe they are truly inconvenienced.
I agree 110%. As much as I would like MLB EI, I cannot see where government has any place, whatsoever, in this issue.

spazattak

03-27-07, 10:15 AM

Sen. Kerry Holding Hearings on MLB/DirecTV Deal Today

From the Baltimore Sun website, quoting Senator Kerry:
_____________________________________________

"I have no doubt that there are business advantages, but what is the impact on fans? They lose the content," said an advance copy of Kerry's remarks obtained by The Sun.

"Or, as we will discover today, they are forced to change their TV service to see games. That is wrong. That is a sign that the system is not working."
_____________________________________________

Again, this perfectly illustrates the pervasive imperfect understanding of how competition is supposed to work.

To our elected representatives, the only point of preserving competition is to enforce lower prices. But the whole point of competition isn't just competitive pricing, its creative, differentiated product choice -- this is a fundamental element of any competitive market, and where it doesn't exist or cannot be sustained, commodity pricing is the result.

And where commodity pricing exists, service and quality usually have to be stripped to the bone to maintain profitability.

Anyone with any common sense has to understand that the whole point of competing for a customer's business is to get them to switch to your product. Considering this a sign that the market is "not working" is either economic ignorance on a grand scale, or simple demagoguery.

Granted, I can understand the view that MLB may be alienating some of its fans for going the exclusive route, and I think it is possible that they may come to regret that. But if that's what MLB believes serves its commercial interests best, they should be allowed to do that... and fans should be allowed -- even encouraged -- to punish them in the marketplace if they believe they are truly inconvenienced.
I completely disagree. "Anyone with common sense can see" that exclusivity completely kills competition and screws consumers. If you want to compete, do it on quality and price. Forcing exclusive content mucks up the market place. Look at the trouble with the electronic music markets and interoperability with iTunes and the iPod, the financial trouble and subscriber issues satellite radio is having because of all their high-cost exclusive deals, the crappy video game sports franchises and lack of innovation because of exclusives, the outcry to mlb and the nfl for making their content more exclusive and inaccessible unless you pony up to a particular vendor. If you're offering something that no one else is offering, that's fine. But if you're preventing other people from offering it - that's anti-competitive, warps the marketplace and is bad for consumers.

wmschultz

03-27-07, 10:30 AM

Scott Tucker

03-27-07, 10:39 AM

Here we go again with the exclusivity argument.

MLB is on XM, I have Sirius so I don't get it. I made a decision to get Sirius.

NASCAR, NBA, NFL on Sirius, not XM.

NFL Sunday Ticket is on DirecTV.

My insurance company only covers doctor visits to certain doctors.

HOLY CRAP, there is exclusivity everywhere. Did you know there are certain things
I can only get at Dierbergs?

I am going to sell my car on Craigslist. Should you all be pissed because you can't buy it off of Autotrader? Give me a break. It's a FREE market place. We can sell our products however and to whomever we like.

Scott

DroptheRemote

03-27-07, 10:51 AM

Scott,

I'm pretty sure that Bill is actually in agreement with you.

spazattak

03-27-07, 10:56 AM

I am going to sell my car on Craigslist. Should you all be pissed because you can't buy it off of Autotrader? Give me a break. It's a FREE market place. We can sell our products however and to whomever we like.

Scott
but more importantly no one's preventing you from also selling it on autotrader, carsoup or stltoday.

Scott Tucker

03-27-07, 10:56 AM

Scott,

I'm pretty sure that Bill is actually in agreement with you.

Yeah, I know. I was supporting him. I hope he knows that.

Scott

spazattak

03-27-07, 10:57 AM

Here we go again with the exclusivity argument.

MLB is on XM, I have Sirius so I don't get it. I made a decision to get Sirius.

NASCAR, NBA, NFL on Sirius, not XM.

NFL Sunday Ticket is on DirecTV.

My insurance company only covers doctor visits to certain doctors.

HOLY CRAP, there is exclusivity everywhere. Did you know there are certain things
I can only get at Dierbergs?
But nothing that only Dierbergs can sell. You see the distinction?

Mr_Bester

03-27-07, 11:03 AM

But nothing that only Dierbergs can sell. You see the distinction?

What about Guiitar Hero? It is exclusively a Playstation game. If you have an XBox or Wii, you can't get it. Is that anti-competitive? I realize this is a much smaller scale, but it is still the same...

wmschultz

03-27-07, 11:10 AM

But nothing that only Dierbergs can sell. You see the distinction?

Not true. There is some whiskey that we have at my house that is made
EXCLUSIVELY for Dierbergs. It's expensive and I bet if Schnuck's could
carry it, it would be cheaper. Or Shop-N-Save....

SEE THE DISTINCTION?

spazattak

03-27-07, 11:11 AM

What about Guiitar Hero? It is exclusively a Playstation game. If you have an XBox or Wii, you can't get it. Is that anti-competitive? I realize this is a much smaller scale, but it is still the same...
I would say yes. If they're limited to developing on the PS because of budget or desire that's one thing, but if Sony is paying them to not-develop for the other platforms - that is anti-competitive.

spazattak

03-27-07, 11:17 AM

Not true. There is some whiskey that we have at my house that is made
EXCLUSIVELY for Dierbergs. It's expensive and I bet if Schnuck's could
carry it, it would be cheaper. Or Shop-N-Save....

SEE THE DISTINCTION?
I'd check the bottler and make sure it's not the label you're paying for :) Though I'm no whiskey aficionado, so you're probably more educated about that than I am. But it is my belief that if Dierbergs is paying to keep that whiskey off of other shelves, they are manipulating the market.

Scott Tucker

03-27-07, 11:24 AM

but more importantly no one's preventing you from also selling it on autotrader, carsoup or stltoday.

Right, and no one should prevent me. Just like no one should prevent NFL from marketing its products on D*.

Scott

DroptheRemote

03-27-07, 11:30 AM

If you're offering something that no one else is offering, that's fine. But if you're preventing other people from offering it - that's anti-competitive, warps the marketplace and is bad for consumers.Who is it that's preventing DISH or cable from offering MLB Extra Innings?

dpmark

03-27-07, 12:02 PM

This has nothing to do with reception. The problem is related to the encoders at the station and how your OTA receiver (probably the one thing you didn't detail in your note) deals with the signals they are producing. The root of the problem is film-based content, such as "Lost" and most other prime-time drama and sitcoms, versus video-based programming, such as live sports, reality shows or news programming.

I'm not completely up to date with the situation at KDNL, but in view of the fact that this is a recurring, on-and-off problem going back a few years, you may want to just bite the bullet and try a different OTA receiver.

Thanks for the response. I take it there are other people with this problem if it's a 'recurring, on-and-off problem going back a few years'? And obviously ABC must be encoding differently than other channels? Sorry, I don't know that much about HD - but I'm lurking here, reading the posts and trying to learn more!

My TV has a built-in QAM tuner which is what I have been using. The TV is a Vizio VX32L - but I don't know exactly what model tuner it uses. I'll see if I can figure that out if it'd be helpful.

The Vizio forum for this TV on AVS (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=752230&page=25&pp=30) is pretty active. I'll post my issue there as well, but I'm pretty confident that other folks are not having this problem with ABC since folks have referenced watching Desperate Housewives. Is there anything about the local ABC affiliate's broadcast that would cause the issue in STL but not for the folks with the TV in other cities?

Thanks again for the help. It's nice to know that the "big" antenna isn't necessary; my wife has grumped about it ever since it went up! It'll go to Craigslist soon....

Mark

spazattak

03-27-07, 12:04 PM

Who is it that's preventing DISH or cable from offering MLB Extra Innings?
MLB and DirecTV?

kdg454

03-27-07, 12:23 PM

MLB and DirecTV?
Not so, not at all. The MLB offer is extended to DISH and cable, if they agree to pay the same price DirecTV has agreed to pay. And, if another provider agrees, the cost is then divided equally between all providers....MLB gets no more. Only if they don't, does DirecTV get the exclusive.

spazattak

03-27-07, 12:37 PM

Not so, not at all. The MLB offer is extended to DISH and cable, if they agree to pay the same price DirecTV has agreed to pay. And, if another provider agrees, the cost is then divided equally between all providers....MLB gets no more. Only if they don't, does DirecTV get the exclusive.
Isn't it a bit more complicated than that? What about that equity stake in the mlb channel? Isn't that a part of the deal as well? The way it sounded to me was that the other companies were willing to meet the financial arrangements, but mlb and directv were saying 'but that's not the same deal because of this other stuff' - creating themselves a de-facto exclusive because it doesn't make sense for the other companies to match and replicate the other stuff.

DroptheRemote

03-27-07, 12:55 PM

In addition, both DISH and iN Demand were reportedly approached for renewal terms when this whole process started for the this new contract, and MLB apparently found their level of interest unsatisfactory.

The thing that most bothers me most about this is that Congress, and particularly John Kerry (hallowed man of the people), are simply doing a political grandstanding dance to no ultimate effect. The fact is, from a consumer standpoint, no real harm is being done.

Yes, there's no question that inconvenience is being inflicted, but this is a long, long way from being an issue that our elected representatives should be spending even a minute thinking about. And how soft have we become that a significant portion of the population actually expects politicians to fight these "battles" for us?

Wake me when it's over... :(

kdg454

03-27-07, 12:57 PM

Isn't it a bit more complicated than that? What about that equity stake in the mlb channel? Isn't that a part of the deal as well? The way it sounded to me was that the other companies were willing to meet the financial arrangements, but mlb and directv were saying 'but that's not the same deal because of this other stuff' - creating themselves a de-facto exclusive because it doesn't make sense for the other companies to match and replicate the other stuff.
Agree, to an extent.
Either way, this makes it a matter for our elected legislators to work out? If so, at what point is the line drawn. Is the manner by which Dierberg's manipulated branding rights (label) of their whiskey to keep it off Schnuck's shelves, then, also a matter for congressional hearings?
To me, it is exactly the same premise, just with more 000's.

I have DISH, and I've sub'd to MLB EI for the past several years. I'm not happy, but it's an issue between me, DISH, and MLB, not my congressional representative.

If you choose to reply, please do, but from there, in fairness to all here, if you'd care to continue the discussion, let say we do it in PM's :)

DroptheRemote

03-27-07, 01:03 PM

Thanks for the response. I take it there are other people with this problem if it's a 'recurring, on-and-off problem going back a few years'? And obviously ABC must be encoding differently than other channels? Sorry, I don't know that much about HD - but I'm lurking here, reading the posts and trying to learn more!

My TV has a built-in QAM tuner which is what I have been using. The TV is a Vizio VX32L - but I don't know exactly what model tuner it uses. I'll see if I can figure that out if it'd be helpful.

The Vizio forum for this TV on AVS (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=752230&page=25&pp=30) is pretty active. I'll post my issue there as well, but I'm pretty confident that other folks are not having this problem with ABC since folks have referenced watching Desperate Housewives. Is there anything about the local ABC affiliate's broadcast that would cause the issue in STL but not for the folks with the TV in other cities?

Thanks again for the help. It's nice to know that the "big" antenna isn't necessary; my wife has grumped about it ever since it went up! It'll go to Craigslist soon....Mark, I've not really followed this issue closely, because it's never been a problem with the handful of HD receivers I've personally used. But I'm pretty sure this comes up here from time to time and is an issue related to the way the decoder/encoder works at the local station.

What are you receiving via QAM? Recalling again from memory, my understanding is that none of the local channels are accessible "in the clear" via Charter with a QAM tuner? Are you possibly confusing 8-VSB (the over-the-air digital transmission scheme) with QAM, the transmission protocol used by many cable providers?

And if local digitals were available from Charter in the clear with a QAM tuner, I wouldn't expect KDNL to be one of those available... ;)

kdg454

03-27-07, 01:04 PM

I may be wrong, but I'm relatively certain, this entire issue, here, with MLB, congress, etc., is all Jared's fault. :D

DroptheRemote

03-27-07, 01:14 PM

I may be wrong, but I'm relatively certain, this entire issue, here, with MLB, congress, etc., is all Jared's fault. :DNo you nailed it, and all of this for one night of glory.

Bad man, bad... ;)

DroptheRemote

03-27-07, 01:40 PM

OT Alert: As long as we're on the subject of our national institutions having scrambled priorities, I'd like to say something about the performance of our local TV news stations last Thursday.

You might recall that that was the day the state of Missouri took action to remove control of St. Louis schools from local government. You could be forgiven for missing or overlooking that story, because, of course, that's the day that the news broke about Tony La Russa's arrest for DUI. Make no mistake, the TLR story was a legitimate story that deserved to be covered.

But on a day that St. Louis lost control over its own schools, there's simply no way you can make a case for TLR as the LEAD story.

I have no problem with TV news or newspapers or any medium giving the people what they want. But if they're serious about their societal role and if they really expect us to take them seriously, they are going to have show a little backbone and thought leadership and demonstrate that they know how to prioritize what's important versus what's interesting or appealing to our voyeuristic nature.

Until then, I'll continue to ignore them completely (in HD or not).

wmschultz

03-27-07, 01:45 PM

There was a good article about that very case on STLtoday.com.

MoInSTL

03-27-07, 01:48 PM

Aha! Yes, that is the question.

In the ideal situation (from the hum-bucking standpoint), all circuits would be grounded only at the service entrance (circuit breaker box), and never to each other. The box then has the copper wire to the ground rod that you have noted (or to a cold water pipe if so equipped).

What looks good from the lightning-protection standpoint, ANOTHER nice ground for antenna masts, etc, creates hum. I guess if you like the feeling of the mast being grounded, you could run a dedicated wire to the same ground rod as the circuit breaker box.

"Ground loops" are caused when any device has more than one path back to "ground." For example, a tuner with a 3-wire plug (ground #1) that gets its signal through coaxial cable bonded at the top to a grounded mast (ground #2) and feeding a stereo control center and HDTV through shielded cables (grounds #3 and #4).

Usually the only way to tell exactly which "extra" ground is the devil is to undo all of them and put them back one at a time. A basket full of 2-wire "cheater" adapters helps. Some high-end equipment even features a switch to break the "third-wire" power ground.

All that said, I'm not going to guarantee that will work for you -- ground loops are terribly elusive. In my own house converting all equipment except my stereo preamp to 2-wire power feeds has gotten the hum low enough to live with.

My antenna and satellite dish are grounded. The correct gauge wire is attached to my ground. My old circuit box was double lugged, which was one of several problems, so of course none of the circuits are grounded to each other. I had all of the electrical work done before I moved in.

Nothing in my house has changed. Nothing. So I don't think I have any ground loop problem that has developed all of a sudden or any other equipment or testing needs done. If I had just moved in and had the problem initially I understand. But the problem with my receiver is new. In the past it has been fine. I unplugged the table lamp that was runing parallel to one of my rear speakers and I didn't notice the hum last night but I had the volume up. I'll listen more closely tonight.

spazattak

03-27-07, 01:51 PM

Agree, to an extent.
Either way, this makes it a matter for our elected legislators to work out? If so, at what point is the line drawn. Is the manner by which Dierberg's manipulated branding rights (label) of their whiskey to keep it off Schnuck's shelves, then, also a matter for congressional hearings?
To me, it is exactly the same premise, just with more 000's.

I have DISH, and I've sub'd to MLB EI for the past several years. I'm not happy, but it's an issue between me, DISH, and MLB, not my congressional representative.

If you choose to reply, please do, but from there, in fairness to all here, if you'd care to continue the discussion, let say we do it in PM's :)
To you both - the reason this is a matter for our elected officials to hash out is because MLB is a nationally sanctioned (in law) monopoly. They have exemptions from anti-trust laws because of their national and historical significance.

My mistake - i missed the bit about PMs. I'll let it drop so we can get back on topic. My apologies - just one of those things I feel strongly about :)

Scott Tucker

03-27-07, 02:16 PM

So, can we start talking about playing golf again? :) I'm getting the fever.

Scott

Dan in St. Louis

03-27-07, 02:25 PM

My antenna and satellite dish are grounded.
Mo, I don't intend to beat this to death, but I would never bet against that being the problem.

I don't see how it could be the speaker wire, the impedance there is low enough to preclude any hum pick-up.

One tangential thought: do you have any light dimmers? If so, try switching them all the way OFF (not just dimmed completely down).

wmschultz

03-27-07, 02:34 PM

Mo, do you need a HD Receiver to swap so you can test that portion of it?

dpmark

03-27-07, 02:39 PM

Mark, I've not really followed this issue closely, because it's never been a problem with the handful of HD receivers I've personally used. But I'm pretty sure this comes up here from time to time and is an issue related to the way the decoder/encoder works at the local station.

What are you receiving via QAM? Recalling again from memory, my understanding is that none of the local channels are accessible "in the clear" via Charter with a QAM tuner? Are you possibly confusing 8-VSB (the over-the-air digital transmission scheme) with QAM, the transmission protocol used by many cable providers?

And if local digitals were available from Charter in the clear with a QAM tuner, I wouldn't expect KDNL to be one of those available... ;)

And on goes my education! I think I am confusing tuners. I don't have Charter (or DTV/Dish, for that matter); I'm just watching OTA television. I thought that meant that I was using the QAM tuner, but, upon a bit more research, aparently I'm using the ATSC tuner. Is that the same as the 8-VSB you mentioned? Either way I've got my antenna hooked up to the coax-in port on the back of the TV which, according to the instruction book, feeds the QAM/NTSC/ATSC tuner(s?). Sorry about the confusion.

Do you know if there's someone at the local station who I should contact about this, or is it "just how it is"? :rolleyes: Thanks for the help!

Mark

kdg454

03-27-07, 02:47 PM

No you nailed it, and all of this for one night of glory.

Bad man, bad... ;)
I believe it was daytime, and just a tad less glorious.
dual pups coming :D

She's pretty close to due....may be why he's not around.

deuces

03-27-07, 04:00 PM

I believe it was daytime, and just a tad less glorious.
dual pups coming :D

She's pretty close to due....may be why he's not around.

So funny you should say that. It is not REAL close yet, but we were just at the hospital. With twins everytime she has more than X number of contractions in an hour she is supposed to take a medicine (an asthma medicine no less) to stop them. If they don't stop or slow significantly the next hour, then it is off to the hospital we go. This was our third trip, all with same result "Everything is fine, go home. But come back in next time, better safe than sorry." And I think I can hear them say they like my money on my way out the door. And Ken is right, it was not real glorious, let's just say there was a cup, a lid, a lazy susan, and a buzzer involved. Those who have been there know, lol. But alas all is well and just back to the waiting game again.

My .02 for MLB and DirecTV. There was a competitive market, it just took place before it got to the end user. Only 1 provider paid the "going rate" for the product. Does that mean the product should be sold through other providers, because we feel sorry for them? I think not.

DroptheRemote

03-27-07, 04:02 PM

And on goes my education! I think I am confusing tuners. I don't have Charter (or DTV/Dish, for that matter); I'm just watching OTA television. I thought that meant that I was using the QAM tuner, but, upon a bit more research, aparently I'm using the ATSC tuner. Is that the same as the 8-VSB you mentioned? Either way I've got my antenna hooked up to the coax-in port on the back of the TV which, according to the instruction book, feeds the QAM/NTSC/ATSC tuner(s?). Sorry about the confusion.

Do you know if there's someone at the local station who I should contact about this, or is it "just how it is"? :rolleyes: Thanks for the help!Mark,

Yes, 8-VSB is the underlying protocol for ATSC.

I wonder if there's anyone else here with the same Vizio LCD as you have, and whether they might be having the same problem? I recently calibrated one of these but there wasn't an OTA antenna connected.

I strongly suspect that the source of this problem is the tuner that Vizio is using in these displays. Obviously Vizio is focused on low cost, and part of that bargain is the components they use are not the best quality. I know that may sound snobbish, but I can only go on my limited experience with these products, which hasn't been great.

So, you might want to take a look around eBay for a used DirecTV HD receiver, as those can be used as an OTA digital tuner without a subscription or authorization. Figure on paying around $100 for one of these, and I'm reasonably confident (but no guarantees) that would likely solve your problem. If not, you can always turn around and resell it.

Jim (WRacer),who is the head of engineering at KDNL, monitors feedback about his station here, so maybe he will have additional information for you. Sorry that I can't be more help.

kdg454

03-27-07, 04:07 PM

So funny you should say that. It is not REAL close yet, but we were just at the hospital. With twins everytime she has more than X number of contractions in an hour she is supposed to take a medicine (an asthma medicine no less) to stop them. If they don't stop or slow significantly the next hour, then it is off to the hospital we go. This was our third trip, all with same result "Everything is fine, go home. But come back in next time, better safe than sorry." And I think I can hear them say they like my money on my way out the door. And Ken is right, it was not real glorious, let's just say there was a cup, a lid, a lazy susan, and a buzzer involved. Those who have been there know, lol. But alas all is well and just back to the waiting game again.

My .02 for MLB and DirecTV. There was a competitive market, it just took place before it got to the end user. Only 1 provider paid the "going rate" for the product. Does that mean the product should be sold through other providers, because we feel sorry for them? I think not.
Well, Best to both of you! I'm sure I speak for everyone, saying you're in our thoughts. :)

dpmark

03-27-07, 04:44 PM

Mark,

Yes, 8-VSB is the underlying protocol for ATSC.

I wonder if there's anyone else here with the same Vizio LCD as you have, and whether they might be having the same problem? I recently calibrated one of these but there wasn't an OTA antenna connected.

I strongly suspect that the source of this problem is the tuner that Vizio is using in these displays. Obviously Vizio is focused on low cost, and part of that bargain is the components they use are not the best quality. I know that may sound snobbish, but I can only go on my limited experience with these products, which hasn't been great.

So, you might want to take a look around eBay for a used DirecTV HD receiver, as those can be used as an OTA digital tuner without a subscription or authorization. Figure on paying around $100 for one of these, and I'm reasonably confident (but no guarantees) that would likely solve your problem. If not, you can always turn around and resell it.

Jim (WRacer),who is the head of engineering at KDNL, monitors feedback about his station here, so maybe he will have additional information for you. Sorry that I can't be more help.

Thanks for the help. I'll see if Wracer or any other Vizio owner weighs in here with any more thoughts and as I mentioned, I'll post in the Vizio forum to see if anyone else is in STL and using OTA signal. No shock that Vizio cuts corners (I had to return my first unit because of backlight problems) and maybe that is the problem - but I hope not since 1) I could afford this TV and 2) with the exception of ABC HD, it is a nice unit!

Thanks again.
Mark

bluedevil23

03-27-07, 04:53 PM

What about Guiitar Hero? It is exclusively a Playstation game. If you have an XBox or Wii, you can't get it. Is that anti-competitive? I realize this is a much smaller scale, but it is still the same...

Actually Guitar Hero 2 for the XBox 360 hits stores April 3rd and there should be Wii and PS3 versions in the future. I love that game :).

aspec2

03-27-07, 05:41 PM

So funny you should say that. It is not REAL close yet, but we were just at the hospital. With twins everytime she has more than X number of contractions in an hour she is supposed to take a medicine (an asthma medicine no less) to stop them. If they don't stop or slow significantly the next hour, then it is off to the hospital we go. This was our third trip, all with same result "Everything is fine, go home. But come back in next time, better safe than sorry." And I think I can hear them say they like my money on my way out the door. And Ken is right, it was not real glorious, let's just say there was a cup, a lid, a lazy susan, and a buzzer involved. Those who have been there know, lol. But alas all is well and just back to the waiting game again.

My .02 for MLB and DirecTV. There was a competitive market, it just took place before it got to the end user. Only 1 provider paid the "going rate" for the product. Does that mean the product should be sold through other providers, because we feel sorry for them? I think not.

If you have a little car with stiff suspension, take the long way to the hospital. :)

BTW...you can't say lazy Susan at my house, especially since the dog is small and there's no room in its house.

Walt

aspec2

03-27-07, 05:50 PM

All this baseball talk....

I was at the mall yesterday with Susan. I sat outside a store while she exchanged some grand children clothing. I couldn't stand the rap in there. I happened to notice that I was sitting in front of a sporting goods store. In the window was a "T" shirt with "27" and "ROLAND" on the back.......

How many people think this shirt cost more than $3.00 to produce? Price, $90.00. This proves that the store is owned by Amerenron. :p

Walt

bailorg

03-27-07, 06:46 PM

My .02 for MLB and DirecTV. There was a competitive market, it just took place before it got to the end user. Only 1 provider paid the "going rate" for the product. Does that mean the product should be sold through other providers, because we feel sorry for them? I think not.

One minor nitpick to this point that emerged in some of the prepared statements: in order for Dish or iNDemand to successfully match the going rate, they have to meet DirecTV's full price, yet DirecTV would get a 20% equity stake in MLB's upcoming Baseball Channel, but no equity stake would be available to either Dish or iNDemand. The Dish representative stated that this was the deal breaker for them.

See: http://commerce.senate.gov/public/_files/Testimony_CarlVogel_EchoStar_VOGELTESTIMONYFINAL.pdf

DroptheRemote

03-27-07, 07:10 PM

Quote of the Day at today's hearings on the MLB and DirecTV deal:
__________________________________________________________

Chase Carey, president and CEO of DirecTV, said that the issue was a business one that was best left to the market.

"I don't run down to Washington every time we have a contract issue or a programming issue or a cost issue," he said.
__________________________________________________________

A complete summary of the hearing can be found here (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2814624)

duihlein

03-27-07, 08:50 PM

So, can we start talking about playing golf again? :) I'm getting the fever.

Scott

i've played 3 times in the last 4 weeks :)

WRacer

03-27-07, 09:39 PM

Thanks for the help. I'll see if Wracer or any other Vizio owner weighs in here with any more thoughts and as I mentioned, I'll post in the Vizio forum to see if anyone else is in STL and using OTA signal. No shock that Vizio cuts corners (I had to return my first unit because of backlight problems) and maybe that is the problem - but I hope not since 1) I could afford this TV and 2) with the exception of ABC HD, it is a nice unit!

Thanks again.
Mark

I agree that the problem is probably in the receiver. Call me to discuss.
314-259-5757 office
314-652-8355 cell ( on the road 'til Wednesday afternoon)
Jim

DroptheRemote

03-28-07, 08:15 AM

CEA Chief Says Digital TV Transition Worries Overdone

I completely agree. Certain politicians assume that if you do not have cable or satellite that you are poor and need TV welfare. No doubt that is true for some, but I think a very significant portion of non-cable and non-satellite households simply don't put the same priority on television as the majority do.

"Fear-mongering" seems to be a consistent and tiring theme on a range of issues, not just the digital TV transition.

The following is from today's TV Predictions newsletter:
_________________________________________________________

"Less than 15% of homes will really be shut out totally... (and) some of them want to be shut out," he (Consumer Electronics Electronic Association CEO Gary Shapiro) said.

"There is fear-mongering going on, and frankly, it has become a political issue. Democrats are saying the Republicans didn't give enough money and the Democrats now are saying 'oh, we need more money.' "
_________________________________________________________

To read the full story, click here (http://www.tvpredictions.com/shapiro032707.htm)

DroptheRemote

03-28-07, 08:19 AM

Microsoft to Launch Upgraded XBox for HD Downloads

The following excerpt is from today's TV Predictions newsletter:
_________________________________________________________

Microsoft next month will sell a new XBox 360 that can display High-Definition video downloads on a high-def set. The XBox 360 Elite, which will be launched on April 29, will be available for $479.99.

The set-top will come with a 120-gigabyte hard drive and HDMI port and cable. Microsoft says the console can store games, songs and high-def movies and TV shows downloaded from its XBox LIVE web site.
_________________________________________________________

Read the entire story by clicking here (http://www.tvpredictions.com/xboxhd032807.htm)

DroptheRemote

03-28-07, 08:26 AM

NFL Approves Move to HD for Instant Replay Evaluations

The change was approved by a 30-2 vote.

I'd like to be the first to suggest that Arizona and Cincinnati be required to apply for digital converter box coupons. Or maybe the officials in those stadiums can be patched through to Senator Kerry's house for his decision on each challenge. :)

The following story excerpt is from TV Predictions newsletter:
___________________________________________________

The National Football League yesterday agreed to install High-Definition equipment in every stadium for referees to view instant replays. The decision was part of a vote to make instant replay, which allows referees to review controversial calls, a permanent part of the game.

That's according to a report in The St. Louis Post Dispatch.

The newspaper reports that the instant replay provision was approved by a vote of 30-2, with Arizona and Cincinnati voting against it.
___________________________________________________

To read the PD story, click here (http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/rams/story/E2C9B46B3472386C862572AC0014D73C?OpenDocument)

wmschultz

03-28-07, 10:10 AM

Microsoft to Launch Upgraded XBox for HD Downloads

I read the "article" and am astounded by the in depth reporting...

Microsoft next month will sell a new XBox 360 that can display High-Definition video downloads on a high-def set.

Uhhh....The current one can do this already.

Can this guy only write drivel?

DroptheRemote

03-28-07, 11:34 AM

I read the "article" and am astounded by the in depth reporting...

Uhhh....The current one can do this already.

Can this guy only write drivel?Like many bloggers, Swann basically just picks up stories from other media outlets, doing either a basic rewrite or spinning it into an opinion piece. He does do some original reporting, such as the recent digging into the DirecTV "sneak peeks" of the HD National Geographic Channel.

Basically he's a "one man and his dog" operation, and considering that he's better than most.

FWIW, I don't follow the games world much so I thought the Xbox story was new. The main thing that caught my eye was the HDMI, but realize now that would only be news if the HD DVD add-on was updating to HDMI.

elgibby

03-28-07, 11:53 AM

Thanks for the help. I'll see if Wracer or any other Vizio owner weighs in here with any more thoughts and as I mentioned, I'll post in the Vizio forum to see if anyone else is in STL and using OTA signal. No shock that Vizio cuts corners (I had to return my first unit because of backlight problems) and maybe that is the problem - but I hope not since 1) I could afford this TV and 2) with the exception of ABC HD, it is a nice unit!

Thanks again.
Mark

My Olevia 537H has the same problem with KDNL OTA. Stuttering pic. Any other Olevia owners out there with the same problem?
I think the tuner as suspect might be correct, because I've recorded a little KDNL HD to my laptop via a Pinnacle USB stick and the picture is smooth.
barry

Scott Tucker

03-28-07, 12:12 PM

I read the "article" and am astounded by the in depth reporting...

Uhhh....The current one can do this already.

Can this guy only write drivel?

Not via HDMI. :p

DroptheRemote

03-28-07, 12:31 PM

I'm hearing that FSN Midwest will be announcing its HD schedule for the Cardinals broadcasts before the end of the week.

Stay tuned...

dweebe

03-28-07, 01:09 PM

I'm hearing that FSN Midwest will be announcing its HD schedule for the Cardinals broadcasts before the end of the week.

Stay tuned...

Thanks for the good news. Hopefully they'll also get off their lazy backsides and make FSN-MW-HD available on D* and E*.

wmschultz

03-28-07, 01:12 PM

Not via HDMI. :p

And that is all that needed to be said. It is black and will support HDMI.

DroptheRemote

03-28-07, 02:27 PM

I thought it might be interesting to have this basic data available here on cable, satellite and teleco TV subscribers, broken down by analog/digital and provider.

Note that for most cable companies, the report provides two numbers -- the first is the total number of all video customers for that provider, while the second represents just those customers who subscribe to digital, rather than analog, cable.

If anyone is interested, the link to the report below will also give you access to data on broadband customers for both telecos and cable providers.

This data was complied by Media Business Corporation's the Bridge. The full newsletter that contains this data can be accessed by clicking here (http://www.mbc-thebridge.com/thebridge/)

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q158/VideoSavant/TheBridgeSubscriptionNumbers.jpg

Scott Tucker

03-28-07, 02:58 PM

And that is all that needed to be said. It is black and will support HDMI.

So, when will you be selling yours to upgrade?

dpmark

03-28-07, 02:59 PM

My Olevia 537H has the same problem with KDNL OTA. Stuttering pic. Any other Olevia owners out there with the same problem?
I think the tuner as suspect might be correct, because I've recorded a little KDNL HD to my laptop via a Pinnacle USB stick and the picture is smooth.
barry

I guess that's a good thing that someone else has the same problem - and we can now say that it's the same issue for Vizio & Olevia...at least in our case. Do the other OTA HD channels come in okay for you?

deuces

03-28-07, 03:02 PM

Thanks for the good news. Hopefully they'll also get off their lazy backsides and make FSN-MW-HD available on D* and E*.

Still no reply from E* on my email asking about that. It has only been 2 days though, but sometimes it seems they reply quite quickly.

kdg454

03-28-07, 03:07 PM

I'm hearing that FSN Midwest will be announcing its HD schedule for the Cardinals broadcasts before the end of the week.

Stay tuned...
An interesting edition to that...quite interesting actually. Last night, DISH uplinked a second FSNMW on to the 129 satellite in among the other previously uplinked FSN HD's, which will be sharing Tp's depending on broadcasts available.
Up until last night, FSNMW-HD was not included.

None are yet available to subscribers, though it is widely speculated they have been uplinked/tested, to become ready for the upcoming baseball season.

FSNRM HD was also uplinked. DISH now has all of the available FSN HD's uplinked.

deuces

03-28-07, 03:16 PM

wmschultz

03-28-07, 03:37 PM

So, when will you be selling yours to upgrade?

Not. I would move it to a different room.

HDMI doesn't really buy me anything other than upconverted DVD's. I don't have
a 1080p TV. I just want them to fix the Night Mode problem on the HD-DVD.

kdg454

03-28-07, 03:42 PM

Ken,

You kind of lost me. So what the hell is going on? Sorry it has been a long week already, besides the hospital visit I have spent all week dealing with compliance officers, because an outside broker for one of the companies we work with stole a bunch of money. How do people think they won't get caught?

So you think this is actually FSNMW-HD?

jb
DISH listed it as the HD version, and uplinked it in among all the other, already confirmed FSN HD channels. The other FSNHD's had been uplinked many months ago, and still, none are available to subscribers. The channel range for RNSHD's on DISH is 359-399. This FSNMW was assigned channel 368. (419 is the SD FSNMW channel)

There have been times, when DISH has uplinked a channel, and then took it down again. It usually indicates carriage agreement is in place, and it is more a matter of "when" the channel becomes available to subscribers, rather than "if."

I see it as a positive step, as previously, only FSN Rocky Mountain HD, and FSN Midwest HD were left out of the original FSNHD uplinks on DISH.

We should know in a week or so....are you experiencing any patience issues, Jared? :)

Saluki

03-28-07, 03:43 PM

elgibby

03-28-07, 03:57 PM

I guess that's a good thing that someone else has the same problem - and we can now say that it's the same issue for Vizio & Olevia...at least in our case. Do the other OTA HD channels come in okay for you?

Yes, when I can find the sweet spot! We live down in a "bowl" with lots of trees and multipath is a huge issue. Using an indoor antenna until I decide whether to dump charter and try again for satellite (line of sight is an issue, too).
But back to your question: Yes, when I get a signal the pic is spectacular. No jitter. Just on ABC/30 HD.
barry

dweebe

03-28-07, 04:14 PM

deuces

03-28-07, 04:14 PM

DISH listed it as the HD version, and uplinked it in among all the other, already confirmed FSN HD channels. The other FSNHD's had been uplinked many months ago, and still, none are available to subscribers. The channel range for RNSHD's on DISH is 359-399. This FSNMW was assigned channel 368. (419 is the SD FSNMW channel)

There have been times, when DISH has uplinked a channel, and then took it down again. It usually indicates carriage agreement is in place, and it is more a matter of "when" the channel becomes available to subscribers, rather than "if."

I see it as a positive step, as previously, only FSN Rocky Mountain HD, and FSN Midwest HD were left out of the original FSNHD uplinks on DISH.

We should know in a week or so....are you experiencing any patience issues, Jared? :)

I think SD FSNMW is 418. Just had to correct you, because I know my wife would have corrected me. I may be wrong, but we don't check the facts before we correct ;) .

If they add FSNMW HD this year (meaning this baseball season) I will be a REALLY HAPPY E* customer. I told them in their letter that is one way to help combat some of the bad press over the Home Plate deal. That MUST be why they are doing it, if this works you can all send me your thanks, hehe.

Mo, if you didn't get that hum fixed you can come to my house in a couple months and hear 2 real loud hums.....

westpine

03-28-07, 04:57 PM

My Olevia 537H has the same problem with KDNL OTA. Stuttering pic. Any other Olevia owners out there with the same problem?
I think the tuner as suspect might be correct, because I've recorded a little KDNL HD to my laptop via a Pinnacle USB stick and the picture is smooth.
barry

This past weekend, I helped my neighbor set up her new Olevia 537H. Using the built-in ATSC tuner and a Silver Sensor indoor antenna, she has the same stuttering problem with KDNL 30-1. (The other OTA stations come in fine.)

I also have the stuttering problem with my ancient Panasonic TU-HDS20 receivers, but that's old news.

elgibby

03-28-07, 06:42 PM

This past weekend, I helped my neighbor set up her new Olevia 537H. Using the built-in ATSC tuner and a Silver Sensor indoor antenna, she has the same stuttering problem with KDNL 30-1. (The other OTA stations come in fine.)

I also have the stuttering problem with my ancient Panasonic TU-HDS20 receivers, but that's old news.

If this is our TVs rather than something KDNL is doing/not doing, it is (understatement ahead) disappointing. That means, I guess, that if I were to keep Charter and invest in a rooftop antenna, I STILL wouldn't have watchable Ch. 30 in HD.
Sometimes I wish I were one of the (adopt snobby accent here) "I don't watch TV" people ... would make life much easier (and less expensive).
barry

kdg454

03-28-07, 06:45 PM

I think SD FSNMW is 418. Just had to correct you, because I know my wife would have corrected me. I may be wrong, but we don't check the facts before we correct ;) .

If they add FSNMW HD this year (meaning this baseball season) I will be a REALLY HAPPY E* customer. I told them in their letter that is one way to help combat some of the bad press over the Home Plate deal. That MUST be why they are doing it, if this works you can all send me your thanks, hehe.

Mo, if you didn't get that hum fixed you can come to my house in a couple months and hear 2 real loud hums.....
You are correct...it's 418. I could claim typo. Truth be told, it's just old age :o

If it turns out your email to DISH got us MW in HD, no matter what she says, you're a prince, in my eyes.
Uhm, no reason to repeat that to her, k?

It's a bit more like the sound of a bloody cat fight. If you're expecting a "hum," you best invest in some earplugs.

Loserland

03-28-07, 06:50 PM

Thank you for your e-mail. Specific information regarding your request for Fox Sports Midwest HD is not currently available. We would like to add that channel, to make viewers like you happy, but we do not know if or when this will happen. We will gladly forward your request to our Programming Department for further consideration.
We thank you for your input as we continually review our options in order to provide a compelling lineup for our viewers. Please stay tuned for consumer Charlie Chats that are broadcast monthly on Channel 101 or logon to our website for future programming announcements.
Your business is greatly appreciated and we thank you for allowing us to be of assistance to you. If you have any further questions or concerns, please refer to www.dishnetwork.com or reply to this email.
Sincerely,
Marie B.
DISH Network e-Care
Pine Brook

kdg454

03-28-07, 06:51 PM

So what about D*? I thought both had the same set of rules/contracts with the satellite companies?
Dweebe-
I don't know how that works. I believe the league black-out rules are the same, but carriage rights may differ....Doug would know. I know the "same rules" did not apply last season. I recall last season, when DirecTV did carry some of the FSNMW-HD offerings, DISH also showed them in their menu, but they were blacked out.

When I contacted DISH regarding this, my thought being "we were allowed to get the FSNMW broadcast (we were getting the SD), so what difference did it make," was the case I presented. DISH replied by saying they have no carriage agreement in place to rebroadcast FSNMW's HD signal.

KIM, all DISH has done is uplink the channel. Though a positive indicator, it does not say when, or if, the channel will go live to subs.
As example, last year, both FoodHD and NTGHD were uplinked for 6 months before they became available.

DroptheRemote

03-28-07, 07:15 PM

Barry,

I believe that there are certain older ATSC receiver chipsets that have trouble working with certain decoders/encoders at some local stations. This problem has been known for a while, but the receiver chipsets are still on the market and because of these problems they probably sell at a considerable discount to more up-to-date components.

And this is one of the potential downsides in buying a bargain brand, as cheap components and low labor cost, are the keys to achieving lowball pricing. FWIW, even the mainstream manufacturers are absolutely obsessed with saving pennies on the components they use to build their products, so naturally this mindset operates in an even higher gear for the brands aimed at the lower end of the market.

And make no mistake, these low-cost strategies are paying off. I read recently that Vizio currently commands more than 7% of the flat-panel market in the US, and it expects to exceed 10% by the end of this year.

Of course, I understand that not everyone can justify the going price for more mainstream flat-panel brands, but this sort of thing should be borne in mind by anyone considering these sort of products. Sometimes it will cost you to save some money.

The solution for your situation is probably the same as for dpmark -- instead of relying on the built-in tuner, find a used DirecTV HD receiver on eBay that can be used solely as an OTA tuner. This will cost you something in the neighborhood of $100, but it should resolve the problem.

You do have the option of pursuing this with the manufacturer/retailer, but I don't think you're going to have a lot of luck, or at least you're not likely to find a quick resolution. I've spoken directly with the US product manager for Vizio about some issues that prevent their plasma TVs to be calibrated (the service memory gets dumped back to the factory defaults whenever you change inputs or turn the display off) and I was told point-blank that there is absolutely no interest in fixing the issue.

DroptheRemote

03-28-07, 07:22 PM

DroptheRemote

03-28-07, 07:23 PM

We Interrupt Your Normal AVS Programming...

...for the following St. Louis housekeeping break:

In the past, we used to begin each month of the St. Louis discussion with an entirely new thread and usually that started with a cut/paste of basic resource information about HDTV and over-the-air reception. Although those messages were moved to the new thread here that was started in January, that information is still easily overlooked as the new thread is growing rapidly, approaching 75 pages in a relatively short period.

So, in order to make this introductory information more accessible, I will be periodically reposting this advisory/reminder note. The idea is to make the general resource information available here more visible and easier to find for more readers.

With HDTV sales increasing every month, we're getting more and more newcomers here, which is a great thing to see. But like most of us when we took home our first HDTV, there's a huge amount to learn beyond where to point the remote and which buttons to push.

Hopefully, you'll find this information of some use...

Tower Maps, Your Satellite/Antenna Rights & Local Station Feedback (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9713839&&#post9713839)

Resources for Receiving Digital/HD OTA Local Stations via an Antenna (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9713842&&#post9713842)

Frequently Asked Questions about HDTV (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=2995791&&#post2995791)

HD Programming Available in St. Louis (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9714728&&#post9714728)

Why Isn't KDNL-DT (ABC) Available via Charter? (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8072643&&#post8072643)

Why Isn't KMOV-DT (CBS) Available via Charter? (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9341270&&#post9341270)

St. Louis Blues 2006-07 HD Broadcast Schedule (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8678636&&#post8678636)

New! St. Louis Cardinals 2007 HD Broadcast Schedule (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10174447#post10174447)

2006 Survey Results: HDTV in St. Louis

Part 1: Profile of Survey Respondents (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9713951&&#post9713951)

Part 2: Local Digital Stations (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9713954&&#post9713954)

Part 3: Digital Multicasting (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9713956&&#post9713956)

Part 4: Customer Ratings for Charter, DirecTV & DISH HD Services (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9713960&&#post9713960)

Part 5: Customer Ratings for Pay TV HD Channels (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9713963&&#post9713963)

Part 6: Best Picture/Sound Ratings & HD Wish Lists (http://http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9713965&&#post9713965)

Finally, I want to remind everyone that you can access the St. Louis HDTV discussion here at AVS directly by using the shortcut URL that has been arranged.

The short-form URL also makes it very easy to remember and give the address to anyone you know who's just getting into HDTV.

The shortcut URL is: www.stlhdtv.info

Entropy1974

03-28-07, 07:41 PM

If this is our TVs rather than something KDNL is doing/not doing, it is (understatement ahead) disappointing. That means, I guess, that if I were to keep Charter and invest in a rooftop antenna, I STILL wouldn't have watchable Ch. 30 in HD.
Sometimes I wish I were one of the (adopt snobby accent here) "I don't watch TV" people ... would make life much easier (and less expensive).
barry

Ok, bare with me........

This is the exact same problem I am having with channel 11.1. It worked great for the first few weeks, and now only channel 11.1 does this. channel 11.2 works fine along with all of the others. I posted this issue previously, but I never got a response.

I also replaced my antenna with a DB4. My signal strength went up to 100% on most all stations (including 11.1) but I’m still having the problem you described.

Thanks in advance.....

Here is a copy of it of my original post..........

Ok, has anyone had issues with CW 11? I receive all other HD channels just fine. I live in St. Peters, but for some reason, about every 5 seconds it looks like whatever show is on (only on 11 HD) is in slow motion. This lasts for about 10 seconds then stops, and then starts again. I am running Vista Media Center and this is the only station that I am having issues with. At this point, I am trying to narrow it down between a signal or PC issue. I'm not sure what other information to give to try and help out, but it doesn't seem to be specific to a time period. It happens all the time. I did just recently replace my antenna with a DB4 which increased my signal strength across the board, but didn't help this issue.

Any thoughts or ideas?

This is pretty much in response to this original post.........

Odd HD problem with OTA 31.1
________________________________________
Hey folks. I've been dealing with an odd problem with OTA ABC HD for a while now and hoped that maybe one of you could shed some light on it for me. Basically, HD content on 31.1 (and previously on 30.1) that is not 'live' television gets minor stutters in the video. The audio never stutters and by 'minor' I mean like 1/8th or 1/4 of a second pause on the entire screen - not the blockyness that comes from low signals, etc. But the odd thing is that live ABC HD broadcasts are crisp and clear with no stuttering, etc.

For example, as my wife watched Dancing w/the Stars last night, the dances themselves & other live parts of the show would be fine, but then as soon as they cut to recorded content (or HD commercials) the stuttering would resume. As soon as it went back to live content, the stuttering would stop. Shows like Lost are basically unwatchable in HD as the constant stuttering is distracting and the audio gets ahead of the picture. On the other hand, NBA games are great with perfect picture/audio. Digital OTA that's not in HD is also free of stuttering.

According to antennaweb, ABC is actually the closest broadcaster to me and in the same direction as the other channels; I don't know why it would be the one to cause problems! (Last digit is miles from my location, ABC is shown as 2.7 miles from me.)

* yellow - uhf WRBU-DT 46.1 MNT E. ST. LOUIS IL 214° 18.5
* yellow - uhf KTVI-DT 2.1 FOX St. Louis MO 219° 6.6
* yellow - uhf KMOV-DT 4.1 CBS ST. LOUIS MO 182° 5.5
* yellow - uhf KDNL-DT 30.1 ABC ST. LOUIS MO 221° 2.7
* yellow - uhf KPLR-DT 11.1 CW ST. LOUIS MO 212° 2.9
* yellow - uhf KSDK-DT 5.1 NBC ST. LOUIS MO 214° 3.4
* yellow - uhf KNLC-DT 24.1 FMN ST. LOUIS MO 218° 21.9
* yellow - uhf KETC-DT 9.1 PBS ST. LOUIS MO 212° 10.4

All the other OTA HD channels in STL come in with no problem for me; this is only on 31.1 and previously on 30.1. I've tried rescanning but that didn't fix it. I had been using just a el-cheapo Radio Shack antenna, so I replaced that with a Winegard 7000 rooftop antenna but again, that didn't fix it. Because I'd had other troubles with my original TV I eventually ended up replacing it with a new unit - which fixed all the other problems but not the stuttering! Grrr.

So. Any ideas? I read the FAQ here, but it doesn't seem to quite discuss why HD content would stutter only on recorded shows but not live ones. Please let me know if you have other questions - I've tried to toss everything into this post that I could think of!

Thanks.
Mark

DroptheRemote

03-28-07, 08:17 PM

Entropy1974

03-28-07, 08:28 PM

Sorry, but I'm not baring with you. :o

The only suggestion I have for you is to clear all your scanned channels, unplug your receiver (or TV) for 10 minutes, restore the power and then rescan all the channels.

That's ok....I didn't really expect anyone to really bare with me on that long of a post. :)

At least I have some things to try.....just a really odd problem. I will have to check into how to clear the channels (really clear them) in both the Dvico software and Media Center (Vista). Restarting the system has no effect on the problem.

Unfortunately, I don't have another HD Tuner (PC based or otherwise) to test to see if it's specific to my current system. That would be a good place to start..........

elgibby

03-28-07, 08:30 PM

Barry,

I believe that there are certain older ATSC receiver chipsets that have trouble working with certain decoders/encoders at some local stations. This problem has been known for a while, but the receiver chipsets are still on the market and because of these problems they probably sell at a considerable discount to more up-to-date components.

And this is one of the potential downsides in buying a bargain brand, as cheap components and low labor cost, are the keys to achieving lowball pricing. FWIW, even the mainstream manufacturers are absolutely obsessed with saving pennies on the components they use to build their products, so naturally this mindset operates in an even higher gear for the brands aimed at the lower end of the market....

Hey Doug
Thanks for the response. I'll check out eBay.
In a couple of weeks when the leaves have popped, I'll be able to assess my line of sight issues and make a decision. Of course if I go SAT w/OTA antenna for CW and PBS I'll still have to deal with the Olevia tuner issue if I want to record OTA ABC.
I guess I'm a little surprised at your theory in light of Olevia's push this model year to raise the value/performance/reputation of its sets. They bill the 5-Series as "calibrated out of the box" but it's my first HDTV and, while the PQ looks great to me after minimal tweaking, you'd obviously know better than me if that claim is anywhere near true.
But I got mine last fall for $999 after a price match, and somebody has to cut corners someplace to deliver a 37-inch LCD for that kind of money. So, I hear ya!

barry

deuces

03-28-07, 08:48 PM

FYI -- I have exchanged emails earlier this week with our contact at FSN Midwest and he said he will try to call me this week to discuss the situation with HD distribution for non-Charter platforms. I have no idea what that might mean, though Ken's uplink findings do raise a scintilla of hope.

I will definitely report back here as soon as I hear from him. If anyone has any questions for him (beyond the obvious ones), let me know and I will try to put those to him.

Is there anyway you can get me a job as the color man in place of Al for a few innings? I mean Al is a little dorky, but I don't dislike him to the poin some of you do, I just think it would be fun to be the color guy. Plus, I bet they don't get a "last call" in the booth. I know, bad time for that comment with Tony's recent unfortunate incident.

Also Doug, I think you should "bare" it all with Entropy. I'm just not sticking around to watch.

kdg454

03-28-07, 08:58 PM

Is there anyway you can get me a job as the color man in place of Al for a few innings? I mean Al is a little dorky, but I don't dislike him to the poin some of you do, I just think it would be fun to be the color guy. Plus, I bet they don't get a "last call" in the booth. I know, bad time for that comment with Tony's recent unfortunate incident.

Also Doug, I think you should "bare" it all with Entropy. I'm just not sticking around to watch.
Sounds like someone desperately looking for any excuse to get out of the house :D

DroptheRemote

03-28-07, 09:06 PM

They bill the 5-Series as "calibrated out of the box" but it's my first HDTV and, while the PQ looks great to me after minimal tweaking, you'd obviously know better than me if that claim is anywhere near true.I haven't seen one of the Oleiva's up close and personal, so I can't really comment on the potential picture quality. But the "calibrated out of the box" claim is malarky.

The average television is built in around 20 minutes, while the average calibration for just a single signal type is going to take at least three times that long. I don't think you need to work the math to know that this isn't going to add up.

What a manufacturer may do is take a single display off the assembly line, measure the white balance, make adjustments to get it close to D6500, eyeball contrast, brightness, color and tint, and then load those service and user settings into all the subsequent TVs that roll off the line behind it.

That technique doesn't address room environment, different signal types, different DVD players, etc. Without question it's a lot better than what was happening 5 years ago, but calling it "calibrated" is nothing more than an attempt to deflect attention from the fact that most people hadn't heard of this company 20 minutes before reaching for the wallet.